Will You Take A Chance On Me?
by Writer5574
Summary: An encounter between Belle French and William Gold in a crowded bar one night will change their lives forever. But will they be brave enough to let go of the past and learn to take a chance?
1. Chapter 1

I've had this idea in my head for a while now, so figured it was time to put pen to paper. Hope you enjoy it!

Disclaimer: I don't own OUAT.

 **Chapter 1**

Belle French was tired. Exhausted. Knackered. It was a warm summers's evening in the city of New York, a Friday night, and she should have been excited for a relaxing weekend. But she simply could not muster up the enthusiasm. The cause was no secret. Her job at Storybrooke Publishers was giving her hell. So much so that she was starting to wonder whether this promotion she was working towards was worth it. She had recently been given the lead on an important project and after lots of hard work and countless late nights she and her group had finally presented their findings earlier that day. Unfortunately the presentation did not at all go as expected. In fact, it had gone horribly wrong. Half the group hadn't prepared their material beforehand, thereby completely disrupting the flow of the presentation, and the other half couldn't even answer the simplest of questions from an audience which included several senior members of the company. She had felt so embarrassed and wanted nothing more than to just forget all about it.

That's why, on that sunny Friday evening, despite the fatigue, Belle French found herself at her favourite bar, getting drunk with her best friend.

'You know Belle, we should do this more often. We live together and yet I feel like I hardly ever see you.'

'Well Ruby, that's because you're always with your girlfriend,' Belle teased.

'I am not! It's because you're always working. You're hardly ever home before ten these days.'

A heavy sigh escaped. 'I know. It'll calm down soon… I hope.'

'It better. I want my housemate back.' Ruby, a tall young woman with dark hair with a fiery red streak running through it, knocked back the rest of her drink and set the empty glass down to join a number of others on the table between them. 'Another round? I'll get them.'

Belle nodded, finishing her own drink as Ruby rose slightly unsteadily from the table and made her way over to the bar. As she watched her friend walk away it briefly occurred to her that perhaps this next drink should be their last. They'd already worked their way through a decent amount of gin and she didn't want this night to take a turn for the worse.

But then the memories of her work presentation returned and she knew she wasn't drunk enough yet. Besides, what alternative did she have? Sit at home and go over the situation a million more times? No thank you.

Another drink it was then.

Belle glanced around as she waited. She liked this place. Tucked away down a side street it rarely became overcrowded, but was big enough to have a nice buzz without feeling impersonal. She and Ruby had discovered it one night a few years ago when they were trying to get out of the rain and since then it had become their first choice on a night out.

Ruby soon returned with two more gin and tonics, an excited grin spread across her face. 'Very handsome guy at the bar. I think you should go over and introduce yourself.'

Belle's eye widened, a blush creeping across her cheeks as she accepted her drink. 'Ruby! I'm not going to just approach some random guy. What if he's a murderer or something?'

Ruby scoffed. 'Don't be silly. If he was a murderer I doubt he'd just casually be hanging out in a bar in the middle of Manhattan.'

'Ok well if he's that handsome then he's probably with someone.'

'He looked like he was by himself.' Ruby gave her an imploring look. 'You only live once Belle. What if he's the one?'

'I doubt it. Anyway, I'm not looking for anything right now.'

'Aw come on! It's been years since the Gaston saga. Don't you want to get back out there?'

'The only way I'm getting back out there is if my true love walks up to me with a sign over his head saying 'I'm your soulmate. Marry me.' Otherwise it's all a waste of time.'

Ruby giggled. 'Unfortunately that would make life too easy.' And with that they toasted their glasses together and continued drinking.

* * *

William Gold was pissed off. Seriously pissed off. What should have been a day of celebration for him had spiralled into one of disappointment and frustration instead. After spending a number of weeks working hard to put together a solid deal to sell one of his companies he thought the contract would finally be signed that day, only for the buyers to pull out at the last minute. Now he felt like all the effort and time he'd spent working on the deal had been for nothing. And, to add insult to injury, he had planned on using the money from the sale of this company in order to invest in another. Why could nothing ever just go as planned?

What angered Gold the most, however, was that he hadn't seen this coming. He thought he was a good businessman. He _knew_ was a good businessman. He had been under the impression that it was all going well. How could he have miscalculated so badly? Was this the start of the end of his career? He loved making deals. Couldn't imagine his life without it. The chase. The thrill. The satisfaction. And for all that to be over...

He felt claustrophobic. Being stuck inside his apartment was no good. He needed a distraction. Grabbing his wallet he made his way down the street to his favourite bar, deciding that an evening amongst strangers would do him some good. And if not, at least he could get drunk and forget about this nightmare of a day.

* * *

'Urgh. I'm not sure I can handle another,' Ruby muttered, eyes closing and head falling against the back of the booth.

Belle watched on, a smirk playing across her lips. She had always been able to hold her drink better than her friend, ever since their university days and the wild house parties they hosted. That's not to say that she wasn't feeling it, because she definitely was. But not enough to want to head home yet.

'Looks like I arrived just in time then,' came the voice of a young woman as she approached their booth. Dressed in a stylish navy blue suit and carrying a bag full of documents she had clearly come straight from the office. She and Belle greeted each other as she slid into the booth next to Ruby, patting her thigh. 'You alright love? '

Ruby opened her eyes. 'Dorothy! ' She enthusiastically wrapped her arms around the other woman and planted a kiss on her cheek.

Dorothy chuckled and pulled away slightly to get a better look at her girlfriend. 'Your breath smells grim. How much have you had to drink?'

Ruby was quick to point across the table. 'It was all Belle's fault! She encouraged me.'

'Me?! You're the one who bought most of the drinks.'

'Then why do I feel so much worse than you?'

Dorothy and Belle shared a look. 'I think we all know the answer to that one,' Dorothy muttered.

'I am not a lightweight!' Ruby's words would have sounded a lot more convincing, however, had they not been interrupted by a drunken hiccup.

'Of course not. Come on, let's get you home.' Dorothy laid Ruby's cardigan across her shoulders and helped her out of the booth. That was when she noticed that Belle had made no effort to get up. 'Are you not coming?'

'You go ahead. I think I'm going to stay a little longer,' Belle replied. 'If I go home I'll only start thinking about work again.'

'I take it that means the presentation didn't go as expected?'

'It was a total disaster,' Ruby answered on Belle's behalf. 'That's why we're drinking. To help her forget about it.'

'It certainly sounds like it's helping _you_ forget at least!' Dorothy laughed.

'I'll tell you about it tomorrow,' Belle said.

'Ok, but promise you'll get a cab home when you're ready?'

'Will do. See you later.'

After watching her friends leave Belle made her way over to the bar. A task that was much harder than it should have been. Why was the room spinning? Surely she hadn't had that many drinks had she? She stopped and concentrated hard. Yup, she could still remember pieces of the failed presentation. Another drink would be required. Just one more though, to set her up for a much needed dreamless sleep. While she was still thinking semi clearly she booked herself a cab to pick her up half an hour later. And with that she found herself an empty seat at the bar and caught the attention of the bartender.

* * *

Three whiskies later and Gold's bad mood was finally dissipating. In fact he was starting to feel quite calm. He had gone over every dealing he had had with the almost buyers over the past few months and had managed to convince himself that he couldn't have seen this coming. He wasn't losing his touch after all. _Phew_.

That good mood, however, did not last long. The seat next to him that had been empty for so long was finally taken up by someone, thereby disturbing his peaceful corner. Turning to glare at the stranger he felt his mind go blank and his mouth dry as he laid eyes on the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. His eyes followed her dark brown curls as she gently shook hair out of her face, then across to her mouth as she licked her lips before speaking to the bartender. He felt a fluttering in his stomach when he heard her soft Australian accent. _Fuck_. He couldn't look away. He felt an overwhelming need to speak to this woman. Like he'd regret it if he didn't. He just didn't know what to say.

Until she received her order and it was like fate giving him an opportunity.

'Good choice,' he commented, gesturing to their identical drinks.

Belle turned at the sound of a voice next to her and almost choked on her drink. _Oh wow, good choice of seating Belle French,_ she thought to herself as she not so subtly admired the man's short grey hair and deep brown eyes that sparkled in the dim light of the bar. He was slightly older than the guys she was usually attracted to, but _damn_ did he know how to pull off a three piece suit.

She suddenly remembered that he'd spoken to her.

'Much needed,' she replied, wondering if perhaps this was the guy Ruby had seen earlier that night.

'Long week?'

'Felt like an eternity. You?' she asked, gesturing down to his own half finished whisky.

'Aye. Spent weeks working on an important deal only for it to fall through at the last minute. All that time wasted. Hence the need for this,' he said, lifting up his glass. He wasn't usually so forthcoming, but the whiskies had started to loosen his tongue.

Belle was so lost in his gravelly Scottish accent that she almost forgot to reply. Again. Perhaps she was slightly more buzzed than she initially thought. 'Ouch. That's not good.'

'Not at all. What about you?'

'I was lead on an important project with a team of six others and of course I had to do most of the work by myself. All they had to do was get through the presentation, but they messed it up and it made us all look bad.'

'Typical.'

'I know right. I may as well have been working with a bunch of labradors for all the help they were.'

Gold chuckled. 'Dogs in the work place… Now that's an idea I could get behind.'

'At least you know they'd be loyal.'

'That's true.'

He had a lovely smile, Belle noticed. Made his whole face light up like the sun emerging from behind the clouds. Not that his face looked like clouds usually. Just an expression. _Yup, definitely drunk_. She shook her head from thoughts of suns and clouds and leaned towards him slightly, lowering her voice. 'Any pets in your life?' _Oh Belle, is that what you call flirting?!_

If Gold thought her line of questioning odd, however, he didn't give anything away. 'I have a son, if that counts. He had a tortoise once, but he thought it would be a good idea to take the little guy to the park one day and managed to lose him.'

Belle's smile faltered imperceptibly at the mention of a child. _If there's a child there's probably a partner_ , she thought, subtly glancing down at his hands. _No ring though…_ 'How did he manage to lose a tortoise?'

'They're faster than they appear, apparently. He turned around to get an ice cream and when he came back he was gone. We searched for a good three hours, but no luck.'

'Poor kid. How old was he?'

'My son? Seven. I like to think he should have known better, but he just meant well.'

Belle smiled. 'At least his heart was in the right place,' she said.

Gold smiled softly at the memory of happier days. Days that were long gone now. He took a sip of his drink and returned to the present. 'How about you? Any children? Or pets?'

'No children, but my housemate Ruby has a cat, Sammy. Though it's usually up to me to look after him as she travels a lot for work or stays over at her girlfriend's.'

'That's often the way isn't it? My son promised that he would look after that tortoise, but of course it was left to someone else to clean the blasted tank every time. I guess I should have known not to make a deal with a young child.'

Belle chuckled again. She found she was doing that a lot in his company. 'I don't mind it so much. Sammy and I have become good friends.'

'Who's looking after Sammy tonight?'

'My housemate and her girlfriend will be in the flat tonight so Sammy will have plenty of company.'

'So you can stay for another drink?' he asked hopefully.

Somewhere in her brain a voice was telling Belle that she probably shouldn't, that she'd had more than enough for one night. She wasn't a regular drinker and given the lack of sleep and the number of drinks she had already consumed she was in danger of passing the point of controlled drunk, as she liked to call it, if she hadn't already. And yet, she felt a connection with this handsome stranger and her heart was telling her not to leave just yet.

'I can stay,' she confirmed, smiling at him, heart winning out over head.

Gold grinned in return, leaning in a little closer. He wanted to see how many more times he could draw that beautiful smile out of her that night. 'The same again?'

She nodded, draining her glass and accepting the fresh drink from the bartender. They toasted their glasses and continued chatting and exchanging drinks, learning more and more about each other as the night went on. At some point they dispensed with personal space entirely and scooted right up against one another, as if they were opposite poles of a magnet, drawn to each other. Though, if asked, they would claim it was in order to hear each other better over the noise in the bar. By the time the main lights came on and they started ushering people out of the door they were two of just a handful of patrons left.

It was only when Belle tried to climb down from her stool that she realised just how drunk she was. Stumbling in her heels she would have fallen flat on her face if not for Gold's strong arms catching her just in time. Clutching his arms she felt how strong he was. She wondered what else was hidden beneath that suit. She gave a subtle sniff. Nice cologne too... _Stop those thoughts right now!_

She raised her eyes to meet his, only to realise that they were much closer to one another than she had originally thought.

His breath caught in his throat as she glanced up at him. Her eyes were even more enchanting up close and he didn't hesitate to tell her as much.

It was only after he spoke, however, that his brain registered what he said and he pulled away in embarrassment. The resultant blush on her cheeks was unmistakable in the harsh light of the bar. 'Thanks,' she mumbled, grinning self consciously, already feeling the loss of his warmth.

He grabbed his cane that had been resting against the bar next to him and offered Belle his arm before they slowly and carefully made their way towards the exit, not wanting another accident to occur, but equally not ready for the night to end.

Gold tried to think of ways to keep their night going without coming off as a creep, but his whisky addled mind wasn't keeping pace with his legs and before he was able to come up with a plan they found themselves outside on the street.

Luckily for him Belle, spurred on by the alcohol flowing through her system, took the initiative and made the first move. 'I've had a lot of fun tonight.'

'Me too.'

'I - I don't want the night to end.'

 _This woman is perfect_ , he thought to himself. While he had been stressing about how to extend his time with her she had just gone for it. Consequences be damned. 'Neither do I.'

The resulting smile on her face would be etched into his memory for eternity. Now it was his turn to be brave. Resting his cane against the wall he reached up to cradle her cheek. The look in her eyes gave him all the confirmation he needed, the magnetic pull that they had been feeling all night acting once again to bring their lips together in a soft kiss. Her hand instinctively went to his side, gently pulling him closer.

The sudden sound of a car horn nearby broke them apart, their cheeks flushed and hearts racing.

'I'm Belle by the way,' she murmured against his lips.

'William,' he replied before kissing her again.

Their lips parted and tongues tentatively reached out, exploring one another, as their bodies came together. Belle could still taste the whisky on his tongue. But there was another flavour there as well, sweet and inviting. Perhaps it was the flavour of him and _damn_ she couldn't get enough of it. She slipped her hands inside his coat, wrapping her arms around his waist, and drew herself into his warmth as his hands ran slowly down her back.

'I live a couple of blocks from here. I've got some food if you'd like to join me?' Gold said once the need for air became too great.

'I'd love to,' Belle replied.

Gold reluctantly pulled away from her, reaching for his cane, and taking her hand as he lead her down the street.

* * *

'Here we are,' he said moments later as they approached a tall building at the edge of Central Park.

Little had been said on the walk over. He had been trying to recover from the mind blowing kisses they had shared outside the bar. And now she actually wanted to come back with him. How the hell had this day gone from one extreme to the other so quickly? Only hours ago he had been sitting in his apartment fuming over the lost deal and now here he was back again but this time with a gorgeous woman on his arm, who was not only an incredible kisser but seemed funny and interesting as well. And what's more, she seemed just as keen as he was! Not believing his luck he vowed to make the most of this night because who knew how long it would last.

He lead Belle into the building and straight into a waiting elevator, stealing a kiss as he pressed the button for his floor. One kiss quickly lead to another, and before they knew it they were standing outside his front door.

The apartment was dark as they entered, but with the flick of a few switches soft lighting came on. The first thing Belle noticed as she wandered into the living room was how big the place was. It was beautifully decorated, with antiques and trinkets covering every surface.

'Is it just you here?' She asked as she gravitated towards an overflowing bookshelf.

'Just me,' Gold replied, wrapping his arms around her from behind and showering her neck with featherlight kisses.

The books quickly forgotten, Belle turned in his embrace and brought her arms around his neck to return his kiss. Their lips parted as the kiss deepened and their tongues duelled with one another, this kiss much hungrier than those that had come before it, sending sparks of desire through their bodies. He ran his hands up and down her back as hers lost themselves in his short hair and she pressed herself against him, stirring feelings in him that he hadn't experienced in many years.

'You know, I'm suddenly not so hungry anymore,' Belle murmured against Gold's lips.

A knowing grin spread across his face. 'I was hoping you might say that,' he replied and leaned in to kiss her once more.

Lips refusing to break apart, they made their way into the master bedroom, tripping over each other in the process and falling onto the bed. They shuffled towards the centre of the king size mattress and Gold went straight back to kissing his way across Belle's neck, eliciting sweet moans from her as she tried to concentrate on undoing his tie.

Once the tie had been dealt with Belle slid his suit jacket off his shoulders and unbuttoned his waistcoat, wondering briefly how he could handle wearing a three piece suit in the height of New York summer. It was when she made a start on his shirt that the significance of the moment suddenly hit him.

This was really happening.

While he'd had a chance to sober up on the walk over from the bar, and was therefore sure that he wanted this, he didn't know how drunk she still was. Did she feel the same? Or were her actions fuelled purely by alcohol? The look in her eyes indicated that perhaps this was more than a whisky induced attraction, but his judgement had already been proven wrong once that day so he didn't want to take the risk and do anything she might regret later on.

He rolled off her and gently pulled her hands away from his shirt. 'Are you sure about this?'

A confused look came over her face. 'Is something wrong?'

'Not at all. I just want to make sure that this is what you really want. I don't want to take advantage of you.'

Belle's frown gave way to a wide smile. _Fuck, she's beautiful_ , he thought as she reached over and caressed his cheek. 'You're a very sweet man. And I do want this. Very much.'

Satisfied with her confirmation Gold retook his position on top of her, settling himself between her legs, and kissed her breathless.

* * *

'That…was amazing,' Belle sighed blissfully some time later as she rolled off Gold and onto her back, trying to catch her breath.

'Incredible,' he agreed, breathing heavily.

After taking a moment to cool off Gold pulled the blanket up over them and Belle snuggled into his side. He kissed her forehead and wrapped his arms around her. The drunken haze they had both experienced earlier in the evening had passed into a feeling of comfort and satisfaction. Like this was how things should be.

'I don't usually do this,' Gold mumbled into Belle's hair.

'Do what?'

'Sleep with people I meet in bars.'

'Me neither.' Belle looked up at him. 'You must be pretty special.'

'Not as special as you.' He leaned forward and sealed his comment with a kiss.

Despite the late hour they weren't feeling particularly tired and continued chatting into the early hours of the morning, only breaking off when their desires took over. They finally fell asleep as the sun rose and the birds outside started to sing.

* * *

Good sleep, Belle had come to realise, was a luxury. One that had been missing from her life in recent weeks. And she hadn't known just how much she needed it until she woke later that morning feeling refreshed and well rested. She liked to think it was due to the fact that the project from hell at work was finally behind her, but in reality it was far more likely because of the incredible man pressed up against her back, placing little kisses across her neck.

Of course the ridiculously comfortable mattress and soft pillows also helped.

'Have I told you that you have a beautiful neck?' Gold mumbled between kisses when he saw her eyes flutter open.

Smiling sleepily, she turned to face him and brought his lips down to hers, morning breath be damned. She couldn't help the moan that escaped when he positioned himself on top of her and she felt how ready he was to go again.

'Your stamina is impressive,' she purred against his lips.

'It's easy when there's such a stunning woman in my bed,' he replied, kissing his way down her naked chest.

Despite the drunken nature of their initial meeting there was no awkwardness between them that morning. Things felt right. As if they shared a deeper connection than merely a mutual enjoyment of fine whiskies.

Belle's body became more awake with every kiss and she rolled them over to straddle him and return the favour. A quick glance across to the bedside table showed her that it was already 10:00.

'Shit!' she exclaimed, jumping off Gold and trying to disentangle herself from the sheets, in the end falling ungracefully off the side of the bed, the sheets still wrapped around her body.

Extremely puzzled, Gold leaned over the side of the bed. 'Everything ok?'

'I'm late!' came the muffled response from beneath the sheets.

She eventually escaped and jumped up to look for her clothes. A difficult job given that the room was still dark. 'Do you mind if I open the curtains? I can't find my stuff.'

'Go for it,' Gold replied, still not quite sure what the hell was going on. One minute they were kissing and the next he was lying in bed by himself, slightly cold and very naked. 'Are you expected at work today?'

'No, no,' she said absently. 'I'm helping out with - Woah!' she shrieked as she opened the curtains to find herself high above the city of New York, looking out over Central Park. She clapped her hands over her eyes and turned around, stark naked against the bright sky outside. 'You didn't tell me you live so high up!'

Gold almost felt better about her sudden exit from his bed as he took in the view before him. 'Did you not notice in the elevator?' he asked, amusement evident in his tone.

'If you recall I was kind of busy in the elevator. I'm really scared of heights,' she said, reaching blindly behind her to try and close the curtains again.

Switching the lamp on beside his bed, Gold got up and shut the curtains for her. 'You can open your eyes now. They're closed.'

Tentatively removing one hand, as if she didn't quite believe him, she confirmed that he had indeed done as he said and went back to looking for her clothes. 'Thank you!'

'I can make some breakfast if you'd like?' Gold asked.

'I'd love to, but I'm helping out with a charity event in the park this morning and I'm already running late.'

She got dressed, found her purse, then ran over to Gold who was still standing naked in the middle of the room, trying, in his tired state, to make sense of the abrupt start to the morning. 'Breakfast is on me next time. I had a great night. Call me,' she said, reaching up and giving him a heated kiss before running out of the apartment, her hair a mess and her blouse half untucked.

'Belle, wait!' Gold called after her, but without his cane he wasn't fast enough to catch her before she left. 'Shit,' he muttered under his breath.

She hadn't given him her phone number.


	2. Chapter 2

Thanks for reading the first chapter! Hope you enjoy this update.

 **Chapter 2**

Gold wandered dejectedly back to his room. There was no way he'd be able to put clothes on and get downstairs in time to catch up with her before she ran out of sight. They'd just spent the whole night together; why the hell did he not think to give her his number? It would have taken seconds. He didn't even have her last name. Just Belle. Beautiful, mysterious Belle.

He slowly got dressed, surveying the mess they'd made that night. Amongst the leftovers from a late night snack on the floor he spotted a tube of lipstick. It must have fallen out of Belle's bag at some point. He picked it up and went to store it in the drawer of the bedside table when an idea suddenly struck him.

 _Why didn't I think of this sooner?!_ Before Belle left she had told him exactly where she was heading, but in all the confusion it must have slipped his mind. He berated himself as he slipped the lipstick into his trouser pocket instead and dashed out of the apartment, almost forgetting his keys on the way. He jabbed at the elevator button repeatedly until it finally arrived and took him downstairs.

 _If Belle forgot to give me her number I'll simply have to go and ask her for it_ , he thought to himself triumphantly as he left the building and made the stroll across the street to Central Park, where he assumed her charity event was taking place.

* * *

Belle raced across the city to get to the charity park run she and Ruby had signed up to help with. She worked out that as long as there were no delays on the subway she wouldn't be more than fifteen minutes late. There was definitely no time to stop off at her apartment to change out of her work clothes first though. Oh well, she'd just have to deal with it. She gave her blouse a quick sniff. _Could be worse_.

While on the subway her mind drifted back to the incredible night she had just had. Going home with a handsome man and having the best sex she'd ever experienced had definitely not been on her cards the previous day. But it wasn't just the sex that had been amazing; it was also the comfort and familiarity she felt around him. She felt like she could talk to him about anything and he'd listen, that she could be completely open with him and he wouldn't judge her. She hadn't felt such a strong connection to a man in a long time, if ever.

And best of all, she got the impression that he'd felt that connection too, given how open he'd been with her. They'd steered clear of any talk of work, both wanting to forget the hellish weeks they'd had. Instead they'd spoken more about his son and he'd told her about how his wife had walked away when their son was only four years old, leaving him as a single parent with no clue what to do. He'd conceded that he'd been a different man back then, focused only on making money and becoming successful and, as a result, he'd screwed up his relationship with his son so badly that they were no longer on speaking terms, despite his desperate efforts to show his son that he'd since changed, that he wasn't that man anymore.

Hearing about his past had struck a chord with her and in return she had told him about her parents. About how her mother had died of cancer when she was only ten and her father had never been able to deal with it and turned to gambling and drugs as coping mechanisms. She'd told him about how she and her father had grown more and more distant until one day she left home and never came back, and that every so often she would try and patch things up with him but in the end it had always lead to more disappointment. Because unlike William, her father hadn't changed one bit. And it had felt so good to be able to let it all out. She didn't usually like talking about her past and in fact some of the things she had told him that night she hadn't even spoken with Gaston about, her ex-fiancé.

Obviously these weren't exactly typical topics of conversation for a one night stand; but then this hadn't felt like a typical one night stand. Not that Belle had had much experience with them in the past. They weren't really her kind of thing. But this had felt like more, like something real could come of it. And that scared her. She had already gone through so much pain and disappointment in her relatively short life; she wasn't ready to have to go through it all again. _Just take it slow and see what happens, she kept telling herself. No rush. Wait for him to call and take it from there - Hold on, I did give him my number didn't I?_ Her eyes widened in alarm. _No, I'm sure I did_. Feeling confident she relaxed back into her seat on the subway and continued reminiscing about her perfect night.

* * *

'Where have you been? The race is starting soon,' Ruby said as Belle finally arrived at the park, in the end a good half an hour late.

'I know, I'm so sorry.'

'I tried knocking on your door this morning but you didn't respond.' She was about to lecture her further when she realised something. 'Hold on, that's what you were wearing last night!' She leaned in for a closer inspection. 'And is that a love bite on your neck?! Belle French tell me everything right now!'

Belle blushed in embarrassment, self-consciously reaching a hand up to her neck, but before she had a chance to explain herself they were interrupted by a woman in a high visibility jacket. 'Ah Belle, you're here. If you could marshal that area over there that would be great. The race is starting in five minutes.'

'Sure thing,' Belle replied, then turned to Ruby. 'Sorry, gotta go! I'll explain everything later.' And with that she ran off, leaving Ruby with a ton of questions and not a single answer.

* * *

After scouring Central Park for almost three hours Gold gave up and found a bench to rest on. He'd had no luck in his search for Belle and his leg was in agony from the exertion. Given the size of the park he'd have been lucky to find her anyway, and for all he knew the event was already over and he'd missed her.

 _Maybe she just made up the event as an excuse to leave_ , he suddenly thought. _No, surely not. She said she'd had a great time, so why would she lie to escape? I must have just missed her or something._

 _But now what?_ Feeling even more dejected Gold rang his driver to pick him up. He'd ended up on the far side of the park and he wasn't about to walk back again. He'd done enough walking for one day.

 _There has to be a way to find her_. Perhaps he could go back to the bar and ask the staff if they knew her. _Even if they do know her they're not going to go round handing out her contact details are they? Don't be an idiot Gold_. Or perhaps she'd realise she left her lipstick behind and come back for it. _Wishful thinking pal. It would be easier for her to just buy a new one_. Gold dropped his head against his chest and breathed out a heavy sigh. Why couldn't things ever just be simple?

* * *

As the days went by Belle was getting more and more anxious about the lack of contact from William. He, meanwhile, was still no further in working out how get in touch with her without coming off as a complete stalker. He knew how easy it would be to simply hire a private investigator to track Belle down and allow them to continue where they'd left off that morning. And he would have done so had it not been for the guilt gnawing at him every time the thought entered his head. The old him wouldn't have thought twice about obtaining the necessary information and going after this woman, but he'd changed since then and now it felt wrong, a violation of her privacy. He knew she'd be curious as to how he found her and wouldn't be able to tell her the truth. And he really didn't want to start things off with a lie. He'd been in relationships before that were based on lies and half truths, and none of them had ended well.

He'd simply have to wait and see. If it was meant to be then it would be. Though that was easier said than done for a man with the patience levels of a hungry toddler.

* * *

After four days without a word from William Belle forced herself to call it quits. He clearly wasn't interested, so it was time to move on and get over it. A task she was finding a lot more difficult than it should have been. She thought the whole point of one night stands was that there were no strings attached? So why did she feel this lump in her stomach every time she thought about him? And about the fact that she may never see him again?

She tried to clear her mind and get ready for the evening ahead. She was attending the birthday dinner of a friend of Ruby's and, although she was initially reluctant to go given that she had only met this person a couple of times, Ruby pointed out that it would be a good opportunity to start the process of forgetting about William. Also, Dorothy couldn't go and Ruby didn't want to go alone. Plus the host was paying, so it was a free meal. So Belle agreed. Reluctantly. And on the condition that she was allowed to go straight back home after the meal.

The dinner took place at a restaurant in an area of Manhattan which was much fancier than Belle felt comfortable with. The host was the daughter of an old friend of Ruby's family, so she tried to make an effort for Ruby's sake, but within half an hour she just wanted to go home. There was a pile of work sitting in her bedroom that needed to get done and she felt like she was wasting her time there. The only person she really knew was Ruby and she wasn't in the mood to try and make small talk with posh drunk strangers who made no effort with her and only cared about spreading the latest gossip. But she knew it was rude to leave before the cake had even arrived. So, resigned to her fate, she left the table to order herself a drink at the bar. _If you can't beat them you might as well join them_.

* * *

Gold was bored. And grumpy. He'd spent the past hour and a half suffering through a business dinner which showed no signs of ending any time soon. Not that he was even following what the others were talking about, his thoughts still firmly with the incredible woman he knew he'd never see again.

Whilst his dinner companions were discussing the alleged merits of some revolutionary new business strategy, one he knew would never work, he got up to get himself a drink. Anything to dull the absolute rubbish they were coming out with.

However, as he made his way over to the bar he stopped dead in his tracks.

 _Fuck_. There she was. Standing at the bar. Only a few metres away. _Belle._

Gold blinked a couple of times to make sure he wasn't seeing things, then quickly made his way over to her.

She spotted him just before he arrived at the bar and _damn_ he looked good. She felt like her heart was going to burst, but tried not to let her excitement show. She honestly didn't think she'd ever see him again and that was his fault. She forced herself to be nonchalant. Not exactly easy with that handsome face and ridiculously adorable smile approaching. _He's probably coming over to let you down easy_ , a voice at the back her head told her.

'Hello stranger. Nice of you to call,' she said, sarcasm dripping from every word. _Good start Belle._

Gold's brows furrowed as his smile turned to a look of confusion. 'What? You didn't leave me your number.'

'What are you talking about? I gave it to you that night,' she said with absolute certainty.

'Erm... No you didn't.'

'Erm... Yes I did… Didn't I?'

He shook his head and that ounce of uncertainty he'd introduced was enough for her to realise that no, actually she hadn't given him her number. In all the rush that morning she must have just assumed she had.

'Oh my God, no I didn't!' Her hands flew to her mouth. 'I'm so sorry! I was so sure I'd left you my number and then I got angry at you for not calling. And it was all my fault!'

'I only realised after you left that morning. I came looking for you in Central Park to get your number and return your lipstick, but I couldn't find you.'

'Ohh, I wondered there that lipstick had gone... Wait, you came to find me?' Gold nodded and Belle's smile lit up her face. 'You really are so sweet. The event was in Inwood Hill Park, not Central Park.'

A look of understanding, and relief, dawned on Gold's face. 'Oh, right. That makes sense. I wondered if perhaps you'd made it up as an excuse to leave the apartment,' he said sheepishly.

'Why would I do that? I told you I had a great time.' He shrugged. 'I'm so sorry, this is entirely my fault. I was in such a rush that morning and I genuinely though I'd given you my number,' she said.

'Don't be sorry. I should have thought of it before you left.'

'Well thank God we ran into each other tonight.'

'Indeed.'

She then reached over the bar and took an order pad and a pen, writing her phone number on it and handing it to him. 'There. No excuses now.'

Gold tucked her number safely into his trouser pocket.

'How about I make it up to you with a drink?' Belle continued. 'Unless you have a table to get back to?'

'Just a very boring business dinner. I know who I'd much rather be spending time with. But surely you want to get back to your table?'

'Not really. It's the birthday dinner of a friend of my housemate's. She dragged me along to stop me from sulking in the apartment all night long.

'In that case, how about we skip the drinks here and escape before we get caught? I've got a bottle of wine at home we could share,' Gold suggested.

'That's the best idea I've heard all day,' Belle replied and together they snuck out of the restaurant, not even sparing a thought for their abandoned dinner companions. For the first time Belle was glad that the restaurant was fancy as it meant that their jackets were taken upon arrival and they didn't have to return to their tables, making their escape that much easier.

* * *

'You sure your business associates won't get mad at you for leaving?' Belle asked once they were in a cab on their way to Gold's apartment.

'They'll get over it.'

'You sound very confident about that.'

'Either they accept it or they get fired.'

'Top dog, eh?' she teased.

'Something like that,' he said. But at that point he wasn't terribly interested in talking as he leaned in towards her, taking in the subtle yet heavenly scent of her perfume, and pulled her hair to the side to place light kisses down her neck.

Belle moaned quietly at the sensation, tilting her head to the side to give him better access. His hand went to her knee and slowly rose up her thigh, but his progress was interrupted by a loud beep coming from her jeans pocket.

Belle pulled back and reached into her pocket to retrieve the offending object. 'It's a text from my housemate Ruby,' she said, checking the message.

'Is she pissed?' Gold asked.

Belle laughed as she read the message. 'Not quite. 'Where the hell are you?! I'm going to steal your cake if you're not back in 5 minutes. Also, who was that cute guy at the bar you were talking to?'' The phone beeped again. 'Another message. 'Was that the guy I told you to introduce yourself to in the bar last week?! You didn't tell me it was him you went home with! Well played Belle French.' I think that means she approves.'

Gold chuckled. 'I'm glad. What did she mean about telling you to introduce yourself to me?'

Belle looked down in embarrassment, a blush creeping up her neck. 'She saw you in the bar earlier that night and told me to go speak to you. Clearly she thought we would be a good match.'

'Clearly she was right.'

'I'll just let her know I'm ok and then this thing is going off,' Belle said, quickly typing a message.

Gold hummed in agreement as his lips returned to her neck, making that 'quick' text suddenly take much longer.

* * *

All too soon, or not soon enough in the driver's opinion, the cab came to a stop and they were forced to disentangle themselves from each other in the back seat. They made the long elevator ride up to the penthouse, but just as Gold was about to put the key into the lock to open the front door Belle grabbed his arm. 'Would you mind checking that the curtains are shut?'

 _Wha - Ohh. Fear of heights._ 'Of course,' he said and went into the apartment.

Belle tried to fight down the embarrassment while she waited. Why did she always feel like she was embarrassing herself in front of him? Logic told her that this was a legitimate fear and nothing to be embarrassed about. In fact, perhaps coming here more often would help her fight that fear. _Yet another reason to keep seeing this guy Belle._

He appeared at the door a moment later and confirmed that all curtains were closed before leading her into the living room and offering her a seat.

'Thank you for not judging me for my fear of heights,' she said, settling herself on the sofa. 'I appreciate it.'

'Of course not. We all have fears. For me it's flying. It absolutely terrifies me. I'm glad you felt like you could tell me. I wouldn't want you to feel uncomfortable here. In fact, we could go somewhere else if you're not comfortable?'

'No, no. Here is perfect.'

'Great. Red or white wine?'

'White please.'

'Coming right up,' he said and went into the kitchen.

She took a moment to scan the room she was in, not having had much of a chance to do so the last time she had been there before she got distracted. It was a beautiful room, painted in neutral tones and fitted with elegant mahogany furniture. Large windows lined the walls, curtains firmly shut, hiding what must have been stunning views over Central Park. On the table next to the sofa she spotted a photograph. Picking it up, she realised that it was a younger William, holding a small boy in his arms. Even back then he was a handsome man. Her eyes then lingered on the boy. She felt like she recognised him, that she'd seen him somewhere before. But surely that wasn't possible, was it? No, he probably just reminded her of his father. She put the photo back down and turned to a pile of books sitting on the coffee table in front of her.

Gold returned moments later with the wine and some nibbles to find Belle engrossed in a travel photography book.

She looked up when he sat down next to her on the sofa and handed her a glass. 'Do you like to travel?' she asked, referring to the book.

'I do when I get the chance. I go away on business quite a lot, but that's usually just planes, hotel rooms and offices. I never have much time to explore the place I'm in.'

'I would love to travel. It's always been my dream to see the world.'

'Do you go back to Australia often?' he asked, taking a sip of his wine.

'Not as regularly as I'd like. I haven't been back in a few years. But I'm so settled here with work and things that I don't really have the time to take a big trip like that.'

'So what was this charity event you did last weekend?'

'It was a park run for a cancer charity. Ruby and I help out at weekends. After what happened to my mum I'd like to do something to help. They don't happen every weekend, but they're good fun. You should come one time,' Belle said, then hesitated. 'If you'd like?'

Gold smiled. 'I'd love to. Just let me know when the next one is and I'll put it in the diary.'

'Will do.'

'How's work going? Have things calmed down?'

Belle sighed. 'It's not great. I thought things would get better after we finished that project last week, but I've still got a ton of work. They laid some people off recently and until they replace them it's up to the rest of us to pick up the slack.'

'That's unacceptable. They should have thought of that before laying people off. What do you do? I've just realised that work was probably the one thing we didn't really talk about last time.'

'I work in publishing. Do you know Storybrooke Publishers?'

Gold nearly spat his mouthful of wine across the room. 'Name rings a bell,' he said vaguely once he'd managed to swallow, attempting to remain calm while inside his heart was beating out of control.

Storybrooke Publishers was his company. The one he almost sold the previous week in fact. _Typical_.

But how did she not realise who he was? Did she not know that she was currently sitting opposite, had been kissing, _had slept with_ , her employer? He conceded that he was more of a background owner these days, wasn't in the office much, letting others run the company on a day to day basis while he oversaw operations from his home office. But how would she feel knowing that she was sleeping with the boss? Was this even allowed? Something told him she would not take the news well. She didn't seem like the type to want to get involved in any kind of office controversy. What if she ended things? Was there even anything _to_ end between them? They'd barely started. One thing he knew for a fact was that he didn't want to lose her. Equally, however, he also knew that he couldn't live with himself if he didn't tell her who he was. He did not want to be that kind of man.

His mind was racing a mile a minute as all these thoughts crashed into one another and he completely missed what she was saying. A gentle touch to his knee brought him back to the present.

'Sorry, what did you say?' he asked.

'I asked what was wrong. You look as though you've just seen a ghost.'

 _So much for keeping calm Gold._ He took a deep breath, preparing himself for what was to come. 'You said you work at Storybrooke Publishers?'

'Yes… Have you heard of it?'

'I have. I know it very well in fact. Does the name Mr Gold mean anything to you?'

'He owns the company. But I've never met him. Why do you ask?'

'Because Belle, you're looking at him right now.'

'You - You're Mr Gold?'

'Yes. I own Storybrooke Publishers.'


	3. Chapter 3

Thanks for reading so far! Apologies for the delay in getting this update out - a combination of a crappy work schedule and a bit of a change in direction of the story. Quite a lot packed into this chapter, so hope you enjoy it!

 **Chapter 3**

 _ **Previously…**_

' _You said you work at Storybrooke Publishers?_

' _Yes… Have you heard of it?'_

' _I have. I know it very well in fact. Does the name Mr Gold mean anything to you?'_

' _He owns the company. But I've never met him. Why do you ask?'_

' _Because Belle, you're looking at him right now.'_

' _You - You're Mr Gold?'_

' _Yes. I own Storybrooke Publishers.'_

* * *

'What? No, no that - that can't be.'

Belle felt like she was drowning. Engulfed in shock she was unable to speak, unable to even think straight.

She looked down and suddenly realised that her hand was still resting on his knee. Her hand was touching her boss' knee. Her boss. The guy who owned the company she worked for. Paid her wages. Made the big decisions. And she had kissed him, had _slept_ with him, had told him how shit his company was! _Fuck. Fuck, fuck, fuck._

As if struck by lightening Belle bolted off the sofa, needing to separate herself from him. She paced the length of the living room, trying desperately to get her thoughts in order. But she just couldn't believe this was actually happening. She turned to face him. 'You're joking right? This has to be a joke. I mean, it can't be real. It can't be that the one guy in New York that I actually like is the one guy I can't have. Please tell me you're kidding?'

'I'm sorry Belle. I wish I was.'

'Right. In that case I need to go. If I'm seen here my career will be over,' she said, heading straight for the front door.

But Gold had anticipated her move and jumped up, reaching for her arm. 'Belle please. Don't leave. Let's just talk this all through. No one knows you're here. You won't get in any trouble.'

She bit her lip, her heart warring with her mind as she gazed into his eyes, seeing the sincerity held within.

'Please,' he whispered.

She eventually nodded and they returned to sit on the sofa, this time with a lot more space between them.

A long silence followed. Gold watched as Belle fiddled with a ring on her finger as she tried to calm herself down, tried to find the words to say in this situation. He thought it best to let her sort her thoughts out and talk when she was ready. He was of course just as shocked as she was at this revelation. And he could understand her reaction perfectly. But to him this was simply a small obstacle in their path to happiness together, one that wouldn't even be a factor for much longer given how close he hopefully was to selling the company.

Before he got any further in his thoughts, however, Belle broke the silence. 'You know, I've always prided myself on my work ethic. I work so hard. I have goals. I've never been involved in any kind of office controversy,' she said. 'And now all of that is out the window because when people find out they're just going to assume I'm sleeping my way to the top.' She dropped her face into her hands. 'And you know what the worst thing is?' She looked up at him. 'I like you. And I know we hardly know each other, but that night felt special to me and I was so excited about seeing you again and now I'm just left disappointed. Again.'

Gold was struck by her words. She was clearly voicing her thoughts, but he never expected such honesty so soon. What courage it must have taken her to say those words, knowing what she now did about him. And she liked him too! How lucky he was that this incredible woman returned his feelings. So why was she feeling disappointed? Surely the only way she'd be disappointed was if she didn't think they had a future together? _But we can!_ 'Belle this doesn't have to change anything between us.'

'Of course it does! You're my boss. This can't happen.'

'But not for much longer. You know how I told you I'm selling one of my companies? It's Storybrooke Publishers I'm selling.'

Belle shut her mouth again, taken aback by this next twist in the tale. 'So - so it won't belong to you anymore?'

Gold clung to the glimmer of hope he heard in Belle's tone. 'Nope. And I've potentially found a new buyer already. We opened talks yesterday.'

'How long will it all take?'

'Well, given that a lot of the paperwork has already been drawn up and, assuming there aren't too many negotiations to get through, it shouldn't take more than a month or two.'

'A month or two,' she repeated to herself.

'Look Belle, everything you said a minute ago… I feel it too. And I cannot tell you enough how glad I am that we ran into each other this evening,' he continued. 'I understand that your work is important to you. I really do. And if you feel that this isn't worth the risk then I will step back. But if you're willing to give things between us a try I promise I will do everything within my power to make you happy. I think you're really special and I would like to explore what this could be between us.'

'I - I think I need some time to think it all through.'

'Of course. Take all the time you need.'

'I might tell Ruby if that's ok? In case I need someone to talk to.'

'It's entirely up to you. Whatever you need to do,' he said. 'I won't tell anyone without your permission.'

She nodded and rose once again from the sofa, making her way to the door.

'Belle, wait.' And once again Gold stopped her. 'One more thing.'

He grabbed a notepad and pen from a nearby drawer and wrote down his phone number for her. 'Get in touch when you're ready. I can wait.'

* * *

Belle left Gold's apartment in a daze. She still couldn't believe it. Of all the millions of men who lived in New York City she had to go and fall for the one guy who was completely off limits. The guy who sent her heart racing with the simplest of looks, who made every nerve in her body tingle with his touch, who made her soul sing with the sound of his voice. How could she give him up?

But then what was the alternative? Risk all that she had achieved at Storybrooke Publishers to enter into a secret relationship with her boss? Live in constant fear of people finding out?

It essentially came down to a choice between her career and a man. And ever since the failed engagement to Gaston she had promised herself to always look after herself and put her own happiness first. So what would make her happier? She couldn't deny that her job was not fun anymore, and hadn't been for a while now. But was it worth the risk for this guy who she'd actually only met twice?

Her head hurt.

She eventually reached her apartment, entering to find Ruby on the sofa, devouring a ginormous piece of chocolate cake. The look she gave Belle could have rivalled that of a child caught with their hand in the cookie jar.

'I brought you some cake back from the party, but I didn't think you'd be home tonight and it looked so good that I couldn't help myself,' she explained. 'I'm so sorry!'

But Belle didn't have the energy to react. She simply sat herself down in the armchair next to the sofa, staring out of the window in front of her.

Ruby immediately sensed the atmosphere and put the cake down. 'What's wrong?'

'I have a problem. But you can't tell anyone about it.' She turned to her best friend. 'Guess who's been sleeping with their boss?'

'Who? Not you?' Belle nodded. 'But how? I thought you went home with that William guy from the bar?'

'I did. Turns out he is Mr Gold, owner of Storybrooke Publishers.'

'He's Mr Gold?! But Mr Gold is a really famous celebrity! How did I not recognise him?' As much as Ruby would deny it, everyone knew that her guilty pleasure was gossip magazines. Belle had seen the evidence in the rubbish bins on a number of occasions, hidden beneath the newspapers.

'I didn't recognise him either and he's my boss!'

'Oh Belle, of all the guys you could have slept with.'

'I know. We only made the connection tonight.'

'What are you going to do?'

'I don't know. He's in the process of selling the company, so I guess he won't be in charge for much longer. But you know how important my work is to me; I don't want people to think I'm just sleeping my way up the company,' Belle said. 'And even once he does sell people are eventually going to find out and will just assume the worst anyway. There's no way of getting out of it.'

'I think that's just something you'd have to accept Belle,' Ruby replied.

'I thought maybe we could keep us a secret.'

'Forever? He's a pretty public figure. He's on the front covers of magazines. The media would eventually find out. Your relationship would suffer long term if you felt like you had to hide all the time.'

'So you're saying I should call it off?' Even just saying the words felt somehow wrong to Belle.

'Definitely not. I think you'd be stupid to. I'm just playing the devil on your shoulder. Or angel. I'm not too sure in this case. I don't think there's a right or wrong answer. You have to decide what's more important to you. But I will tell you this. I haven't seen you this excited about someone in forever. And that was after just one night! I saw the look on your face when you were talking to him in the restaurant earlier. You _never_ looked at Gaston like that. Yes your job is important, but there's more to life than work. Your life has revolved around that company for so long now; maybe it's time to focus on something else for a change.'

Belle once again found herself staring into her hands. 'I don't know what to do.'

'I think you should sleep on it. There's no rush. How did you leave things with him?'

'I told him I'd get back to him.'

'Then take your time. Would you like some cake?'

Belle lifted her head to glance at the cake. 'Is it good? Should I be upset that you started it without me?' she said with a sly smile, the first one since returning home. Now that she had a chance to think about it she was feeling slightly peckish, not having finished her meal back at the restaurant.

'I'll tell you this: Eleanor may be annoying as hell, but she sure knows where to go to get good cake.'

Satisfied with Ruby's answer Belle retrieved a fork from the kitchen before joining her housemate for a much needed evening of cake and TV.

* * *

Unfortunately sleep eluded Belle that night. And it was no surprise as to what, or rather who, was occupying her thoughts.

Her main concern was how a relationship with the owner of her company would affect her chances of promotion. Since getting this job seven years ago she had worked her ass off to get to where she was. And she still had more she wanted to achieve. It was true that this job wasn't her end goal. But for now she wanted to gain experience and save money in order to one day fulfil her dreams of opening her own book shop. Hence the late nights and the extra responsibility and all the hard work.

On the other hand, perhaps Ruby was right. Yes it was still early days, and it would be silly to start looking ten years into the future, but she couldn't shake this feeling she had. One that had started when she first looked into William's eyes at the bar that night and had only gotten stronger the more time she spent with him. She didn't think she believed in love at first sight, but she couldn't deny that things felt right when she was with him. And she didn't know if she could just let him go again. She realised that she'd never had those feelings when she was with Gaston. Or anyone else. It really felt like they were the two opposite poles of a magnet, drawn to one another.

Perhaps it was meant to be.

* * *

Belle went into work the next morning feeling incredibly on edge. What if people had found out? What if someone had seen them at the restaurant the previous night? Like Ruby had said, Gold was a public figure. What if the paparazzi had caught the two of them together and her face was all over the front pages? Belle made sure to spare a quick glance at the front pages on her way into work, just in case. But nothing jumped out at her. _So far so good._

She arrived at her desk to a fresh pile of work waiting to be tackled.

'Morning Belle,' a young man said as he walked past her, patting her shoulder as he went, and sat down at the desk next to her.

'Have you seen this?!' she replied by way of greeting, gesturing to the stack of papers.

'I know. I've got the same. And I've heard from Jason that there's more to come after lunch.'

'Neal they can't keep doing this to us!'

Neal was one of Belle's best friends. He had started at Storybrooke Publishers about four years after her and since being given the desk next to her they had become inseparable. With his charming personality and penchant for mischief he always knew how to make her laugh and get her through the long days.

'I know Belle, but what can we do?'

'Maybe we should speak to someone. This is getting ridiculous.'

'But what about your promotion? They say Hardman will be retiring in a few months so there'll be a new position opening up. You don't want to cause any trouble before then. Here, give me the documents, I'll do them.'

'No way Neal. I won't let you take on my extra workload as well as your own!'

'Please Belle. You've already had a shit time of it these past few weeks.'

'Letting you do my work isn't going to make me feel any better.'

'Then there's nothing else we can do.'

 _I know something I can do_. Fuelled by frustration and rebellion, and without allowing herself a second thought Belle took her phone out and typed a message.

 _I think we should give things between us a go. When are you free to talk? B X_

She quickly reread the text, then hit send.

The reply didn't take long to arrive.

 _Dinner at mine on Saturday night? X_

 _Perfect. See you then. X_

 _Can't wait. X_

There. Work could damn well deal with it for all she cared. Enough was enough.

* * *

The following couple of days felt like an eternity for Gold. He'd been walking around in a permanent state of shock ever since receiving the text from Belle.

As soon as she'd left his apartment on the Wednesday evening he'd started preparing himself for rejection. What would a young woman as intelligent and beautiful as Belle want with a lonely, old man like him? He'd gone to bed that night thinking he'd never see her again.

Only to receive that text the next morning and feel his whole world brighten. He had even managed to drop his phone in his excitement to reply, navigating around a crack screen to invite her to dinner. He couldn't pretend to understand her decision, but he certainly wasn't going to question it.

He had been completely unable to focus on any of his meetings that day and in fact he cancelled all Friday plans to clean his apartment instead and make sure that everything was in order before their date. Could he call it a date? She did say she wanted to try things with him, whatever these 'things' were. Again, she was coming for dinner so no questions asked. Saturday was then spent looking for recipes and buying ingredients for the perfect dinner.

When Saturday evening finally rolled around Gold was interrupted from putting the final touches on dinner by the buzzing of the door bell. He'd decided to try his hand at making his own ravioli, filled with beef and accompanied by a tomato and red wine sauce, with tomato bruschetta to start and a tiramisu for dessert. It was ambitious by his standards, and he was glad he'd started early, as it all took far longer than he'd anticipated. But it was done and it smelled good. If it tasted as good remained to be seen.

He went to open the door and there she was. Looking Radiant. As usual. Wearing a navy fitted dress that came to just above her knees she wore her hair down, curled slightly at the ends. And that smile. Damn, that smile. Who needed electricity when that smile could light up a room on its own?

He was startled out of his gaze by the movement of her arm from behind her back to reveal a bottle of champagne.

'The concierge let me in downstairs. I wasn't sure if this was too presumptuous?' she said, the slightest hint of nerves noticeable in her voice.

'That depends,' he replied, nonchalantly gazing down at his nails. 'Do we have something to celebrate?'

The sudden flicker of fear that raced through her was quickly extinguished by the smile she saw playing at the corners of his lips, fighting to spread out across his face. He was only teasing. _Bastard!_

She giggled and that wonderful sound was enough for his smile to break free as she stepped into his embrace, her lips finding his and - yep, there it was. That feeling again. That things were just right.

Any fears or worries that Belle had about her decision vanished with that kiss. Because she knew it was the right decision. She could feel it.

They broke apart and Gold took the bottle from her, leading her into the kitchen where the table had been set up for a romantic dinner for two, with candles and everything.

'This is the first time I've tried this recipe so I've got the number for the pizza place round the corner if it's no good,' he said.

'I'm sure it'll be delicious,' Belle replied. 'Is there anything I can do to help?'

'No no, everything's ready to go.'

He popped the bottle in the fridge for them to enjoy later in the evening before holding Belle's chair out for her and retrieving their starters.

* * *

'That was incredible. I'll have to get you to cook for me more often,' Belle said, almost moaning in pleasure after taking her final spoonful of tiramisu.

Gold chuckled. 'I'm glad you enjoyed it. Would you like some more wine?'

Belle nodded and he refilled her glass for her.

'So what made your mind up? About us? I have to admit, I wasn't expecting to hear from you so soon.'

'I hope you weren't doubting my affections for you?' she teased.

'Perhaps a little,' he said sheepishly.

'Ruby gave me a pep talk when I got back that night and made me realise that there's more to life than work.' She took a sip of wine. 'I think…what you and I have could lead to something really special and I shouldn't throw that away for a job.'

'Sounds very wise. I have you tell you I'm very happy with your decision.'

'I'm glad to hear it. Though I think we should try and keep us a secret for the time being, if that's ok? I don't need work to be any harder than it already is. I've told Ruby and I'll probably tell Dorothy, Ruby's girlfriend, but no one else.'

'No one will find out from me.'

'Thank you. Have you made much progress with the sale of the company?'

'Getting there. They seem keen, so it's looking good.' He put down his glass and leaned forward. 'Belle, I don't know how much you know about me but I used to be in the public eye a lot. It's calmed down recently, but I think that's probably more because I've been very boring and haven't done anything report-worthy lately. If they find out that I'm seeing someone they'll jump at the chance to find out who you are, including where you work. What I'm saying is, we probably won't be able to go out in public much for a while. At least not until after I've sold the company and we don't have to keep us secret anymore. Is that something you could be ok with?'

'If it means more dinners like this then I think I can live with it.'

'And even once we do go public there will likely be a lot of media interest. I don't want any of that to come as a shock to you. I will of course protect you as much as I can, but there is only so much we can do.'

'William, I want to be with you. I don't care about anything else. I'm sure anything they come up with we can handle together.'

He breathed a sigh of relief. Her reaction to his fame and public interest had been a worry for him. He would have completely understood if that kind of life would have put her off. 'Great. Is there anything else you wanted to discuss?'

'Nothing that I can think of right now. I'll let you know if anything else comes to mind.'

'Please do.' His look then turned hopeful, excitement simmering beneath the surface. 'So we're really going to do this?'

She got up from her chair and came round the table, settling herself on his lap and wrapping her arms around his neck. 'We really are.'

And she sealed her words with a kiss.

'Now, how about we open that champagne and I give you a proper tour of this place,' Gold said once they pulled away. 'There's a hot tub in one of the bathrooms that I don't believe you've seen yet.'

* * *

The next morning was spent lazing around, the two of them simply enjoying spending time together and making the most of the excitement of the start of a relationship. Things like learning about each other's like and dislikes, discovering shared common interests, retelling stories from their youths, revealing their childhood hopes and dreams. Gold brought Belle breakfast in bed, once again showing off his culinary skills, and they finally rose to shower together shortly before lunch.

They were just sitting down for some food when Belle's phone rang.

'It's Ruby,' she said, checking the screen. 'She was supposed to head up to see her parents this morning.'

'Could be important,' Gold replied.

Acknowledging his point she brought the phone to her ear. 'Hi Ruby, what's up?'

'Hey Belle, are you at home?'

'Erm no, I'm at William's.'

'Glad to hear that the date went well! Sorry to disturb you, but according to Mrs Johnson downstairs we've got a leak, probably in one of the bathrooms. I don't know if maybe I left a tap running when I left this morning, but I've called a plumber to come round and check it out. There's no way I'll be able to get back in time, so I was wondering if you'd mind going back to the apartment to let them in? They should be coming in a couple of hours.'

'Yeah of course, no problem.'

'Thanks so much Belle, I owe you!'

Belle ended the call and broke the news to Gold that she needed to head home after lunch.

'Don't you have a landlord who can take care of it?'

'Ruby's grandmother owns the flat, so Ruby's in charge of all maintenance.'

'How about I come with you? I can drive you over and we can watch some of that American football you mentioned you love so much.'

'Are you sure? I don't want to take you away from anything you had planned today.'

'I have no other plans. Unless you've become sick of me already?' he teased, though he wasn't entirely joking, as insecurities from past relationships lurked in the shadows of his mind, waiting for an opportunity to pounce.

'Not at all! We can head over after lunch. I apologise in advance for the state the place will be in. Ruby and I aren't exactly the tidiest people in the world.'

* * *

After lunch Gold drove them across town in his black Cadillac. Though small, Ruby and Belle's apartment had a cosy, homely feel, especially compared with his large empty penthouse. Gold liked it.

The living room was a book lover's dream. Packed bookshelves lined two of the walls of the open plan space and more books were piled up on surfaces around the room. A worn leather sofa sat facing a modest television and to the side one could look out onto the street through a beautiful bay window. Across the room was a small kitchen slash dining room and a corridor lead to two bedrooms, each with an en suite bathroom.

Belle gave Gold a quick tour and introduced him to Sammy the cat, who took an immediate liking to the new guest and refused to leave his side while she checked for dripping taps, in the end not finding any.

'According to Ruby the plumber isn't due for another hour at least, so we've got some time to kill. I could put the football on, or we could play a game or something?' Belle suggested.

Gold pulled her into his arms and gave her a peck on the lips. 'Or we could…' he trailed off, making eyes in the direction of her bedroom.

'Hmmm, I like how you think,' Belle replied, wrapping her arms around his neck and deepening the kiss.

They stumbled into the bedroom, shedding their clothes as they went…only to find that their feline friend had followed them and was making himself comfortable on the bed. A number of desperate attempts later they had finally managed to distract Sammy long enough to run back into the bedroom and shut the door.

They fell onto the bed naked, running their hands up and down each other, desperate to feel each other's touch. Belle wrapped her legs around Gold's waist, rolling them over to straddle him, and kissed her way down his neck and across his chest.

'You're so beautiful,' he whispered, cupping her face and bringing her lips up to his.

A sudden loud buzzing sound from the living room interrupted them. The door bell. 'Are you kidding me?!' Belle groaned. 'When are they ever early?!'

Gold sighed and let go of her as she got up.

'You might want to wait here a minute,' she said, glancing down at his crotch before running out into the hallway to pick up their discarded clothes.

'Come on up!' she called into the intercom after confirming that it was indeed the plumber waiting outside.

She threw their clothes onto the bed next to Gold and quickly got dressed.

'I'll distract them as long as I can while you get ready. I'll get them to check Ruby's bathroom first, but they'll need to come in here as well to check mine so make sure you're dressed!'

Belle left the room, shutting the door behind her as she went, and Gold could hear her greet the plumber. He sighed again and slowly got up to put his clothes back on.

* * *

The leak ended up being a bigger job to fix than anticipated, so Belle and Gold spent the afternoon curled up on the sofa watching NFL while the plumber worked away.

'You know, I've been thinking,' Belle said, about an hour into the game. 'About what you told me about your son. I realise this is none of my business so feel free to tell me to shut up, but I think you should go and see him.'

Gold slowly set down the glass he had been drinking from. 'He doesn't want to see me,' he replied quietly.

'You don't know that. Maybe he's just saying it to protect himself.'

Gold sighed. 'I've tried Belle. But every time we speak it just ends in an argument and he goes back to ignoring me. It wouldn't be fair to put either of us through that again.'

Belle reached for his hand. 'Then show him that this time it's different. You know, I've got a friend at work who's having a difficult time with his father. I don't know why they're fighting, but I can tell that, no matter how much he tries to deny it, he misses his dad and he wants that relationship back. Maybe that's what your son wants as well. Have the two of you ever really talked through your problems?'

Gold shrugged. 'It's not that simple. I was a terrible father Belle. Sometimes I think he's better off without me. His mother walked out when he was four, and I should have been there for him. But I wasn't. Instead I started working even longer hours to earn more money and got caught up in my own life. I was selfish. And in the end none of the money I made mattered to him. He just wanted a dad who came home to him at the end of the day. And I couldn't even do that. Why should he want anything to do with me?'

'You told me you've changed since then; you need to show him that,' Belle said determinedly.

Gold ran a hand through his hair. 'I wouldn't even know where to start. I don't know where he works; I don't even know if I've got up to date contact details. We've become strangers to each other.'

'I think you just need to start somewhere and the rest will come later.'

Gold sat in silence, turning Belle's words over in his head. 'Maybe you're right.'

'I usually am,' Belle said with a smirk.

'And were you right in coming to my apartment last night?' he replied playfully.

'That depends. You've certainly made a promising start.'

'Well then my dear, let me show you how right you were,' Gold said, leaning in for a kiss.

At that moment the plumber returned to the living room, announcing that while they had fixed the leak it was merely a temporary fix and that at some point the pipes would need replacing entirely, a much larger job that would require Ruby and Belle to vacate the apartment for some time.

After paying the plumber and showing them out, Belle turned back to Gold. 'Do you want to stay for some dinner? I may not have your talents in the kitchen, but I can just about scramble together a stir fry.'

Gold rose from the sofa and made his way over to her. 'I would love to, but I should probably head home. I have to go to London tomorrow morning on business and I need to pack.'

'Ah ok. How long will you be gone for?' Belle replied, trying not to let her disappointment show. During their time together that weekend she had conveniently forgotten that he was an important businessman who'd likely have to travel a lot to make deals and do important business things. Oh well, at least it would make their time together that much more special.

'Four days. How about dinner at my place when I get back? We could cook something together?'

'You might regret that offer when you realise how bad of a cook I am, but sounds like a plan. Have a good trip,' Belle said, wrapping her arms around his neck, pressing herself close and inhaling the heavenly scent of his cologne. 'And thank you for a lovely weekend.'

'I'll call you when I get there,' Gold replied, giving her a long kiss before leaving.

Belle went to the window and watched him get into his car and drive away. How was it possible that she missed him already? It had only been two minutes! _Damn are these four days going to drag._


	4. Chapter 4

Thanks again for continuing to read this story. I'm having so much fun writing it, so I hope you're enjoying reading it too. Slightly shorter chapter this time - I had originally planned a longer one, but couldn't resist splitting it up and ending it at this particular point, so the rest will be posted in the next few days. Enjoy!

 **Chapter 4**

As the late summer sun shone down on the busy streets of New York City Belle French stepped out of her office building, lunch box in hand, and made her way down the street towards Central Park. A last minute task courtesy of her boss had threatened to cut into her lunch plans and a quick glance at her watch told her that, despite Neal kindly offering to finish the task for her, she was still going to be late. She broke into a run, weaving carefully through the crowds. Why did New York always seem _even_ busier when she was in a rush to get somewhere?

She finally reached the agreed meeting point to find that her lunch companion had already arrived.

'Sorry I'm late,' she said, trying to catch her breath as she sat down on the bench. 'I was just about to leave when my boss arrived at my desk with an urgent assignment.'

'No worries,' Dorothy replied as she leaned in for a hug. 'I thought your workload was supposed to be getting better?'

'That's what I thought too. But the big pre Christmas push is slowly winding up, and since they still haven't replaced everyone they got rid of over the summer it means extra work for us.'

'That sucks Belle. Is there nothing William can do about it?'

'I've asked him not to interfere. He only knows about the problem because of me. That would be giving me an unfair advantage because I'm in a relationship with the boss if he were to tell them to ease my workload.'

'What if he were to subtly start making enquiries into staffing issues?'

'Maybe… I don't know. We've managed to keep our relationship a secret for three months now. I don't want to risk it all because I'm a bit busier than usual,' Belle said, unwrapping her sandwich.

They caught up on the latest news as they ate, their weekly lunch dates having become something of a tradition since they had become friends five years prior, when Dorothy and Ruby had started dating. It had come as a lovely coincidence that Storybrooke Publishers was located only a couple of blocks away from the law firm where Dorothy worked and their lunch dates always provided a welcome break from their otherwise hectic lives.

However, on this occasion Belle noticed that Dorothy had barely touched her sandwich and seemed distracted and rather subdued throughout their conversation. She asked her what was wrong.

Dorothy sighed. 'I found out today that work will be transferring me up to Boston in November.'

'What?! For how long?'

'About six months. I guess as long as it takes to settle this case we've got up there. I knew it would happen at some point. When I took the job my contract stated that if I was ever needed in Boston I would go, but that doesn't make it any easier to handle when it actually happens,' Dorothy said. 'I haven't told Ruby yet. And I know how upset she'll be. We'd just started talking about moving in together and now…' She threw her hands up in defeat.

'Oh Dorothy, I'm sorry. And there's no way of getting out of it?'

'Not unless I quit my job.'

'Hm. I'm sure the time will fly by though, and Boston isn't that far away. You'll be back again for Christmas right?' Dorothy nodded. 'And maybe when you get back you and Ruby could move in together? It could be the start of a new chapter in your lives.'

'Maybe you're right.'

'And you know I'll look after her while you're gone,' Belle assured her.

'Thanks Belle.'

Belle wrapped her arm around Dorothy. 'And we're going to throw you the biggest party ever when you get back _and_ before you leave.'

Dorothy chuckled, leaning into her friend's embrace. 'That'll be something to look forward to.'

'Exactly. It'll be ok. I promise.'

'I know. I'll be fine,' she said, trying to convince herself as much as Belle. 'Anyway, let's talk about something happier. How are things with William?'

Belle beamed. 'They're good. Great. He's so lovely. These last three months have been a perfect dream.'

'Has he sprung the L-word yet?'

'No, it's still too soon for that isn't it? Gaston didn't say it until we were six months in.'

'But that was Gaston and he was a dick,' Dorothy pointed out.

'That's true,' Belle giggled. 'Well, when did you and Ruby first say it to each other?'

'Probably around the time you're at now,' Dorothy said. 'But everyone is different. And it's entirely dependent on how you feel about each other and whether you feel ready yet. Do you think you might have those feelings?'

'I - I don't know. I guess I'm not really sure what it should feel like. I thought I was in love with Gaston and then that all went down the drain. I know that William makes me happy. He makes me feel safe and appreciated. It just feels right you know? How did you know you were in love with Ruby?'

'I don't know really. The feelings kind of crept up on me. I woke up one day, saw her lying next to me, and knew that I wanted to spend the rest of my life with her. And from that moment on I knew that I could never be happy with anyone else.'

'Were you not scared?'

'Fucking terrified. But that fear was nothing in comparison to the happiness I felt whenever we were together. And eventually I learned to say no to that fear, to squash it. I'm guessing that's what you're feeling right now?'

Belle nodded. If she was being honest with herself she was absolutely bloody petrified. Which was why she'd been trying not to think about her feelings or what the future could hold for them. Their relationship was perfect as it was at that moment. They spent almost every night together, they had fun, they talked and made each other laugh. But the further things went with William the further she'd have to fall if it didn't work out. She'd opened her heart before and it had left her a mess on the floor. And now these feelings were infinitely stronger. She didn't know if she could go through that again.

And if she acknowledged those feelings, let them escape into the world, it would make everything so much more real, more fragile somehow. Right now they were having fun and that was good enough, wasn't it? Why risk all they had together with declarations of love? Besides, how could she be sure he even felt the same way? What if he didn't? Then it would all have been for nothing.

Belle was letting fear rule her heart and she knew it. But, unlike Dorothy, she wasn't strong enough to squash that fear. Not yet anyway.

* * *

'Ruby can you get that?' Belle called from the kitchen a few nights later after hearing the front door bell ring.

'Sorry I'm late,' Neal said as Ruby opened the door.

'How can you be late? You live around the corner,' she commented. 'And what are you wearing?'

He was kitted out in fluorescent green sports gear, which was completely caked in mud and carried with it a rather pungent smell. 'I was playing soccer. I didn't have time to change, sorry.'

'You're gross. Did you at least bring the DVD?'

Neal pulled a DVD out of his rucksack and handed it to Ruby who got the TV set up for their movie night.

'Make yourself comfortable, the food has just arrived,' she said distractedly as she fiddled with the TV remote.

Neal dropped his bag by the front door and followed the smell of Indian take away into the kitchen where Belle was dishing up. He wrapped his arms around her from behind, enveloping her in a big hug.

'Ew, what is that smell!?' she whined, trying to escape his embrace.

'That is the scent of hard work and success,' Neal said proudly, pinching a piece of chicken from one of the plates.

Belle slapped his hand away. 'Your team won?'

'No, but we didn't lose so badly this time, which is as good as a win at this stage.'

'I'm happy for you, as long as you don't get mud all over the furniture.'

Neal rolled his eyes good-naturedly. 'I brought spare clothes. I'm gonna shower quickly.'

'Hurry!' she called after him.

'Yes _mom_!'

Belle took the plates through and once Neal had returned, thankfully smelling much fresher, the three of them made themselves comfortable with their dinner in front the TV where Lord of the Rings had just started. A firm favourite in the Lucas/French household.

Unfortunately the peace did not last long. Just as Frodo was offering to take the ring to Mordor Belle's phone rang. She checked the caller ID and motioned to Ruby that she wouldn't be long as she got up from the sofa.

'Hey William, how were the meetings?' they heard her say as she disappeared into her bedroom, door closing behind her.

Neal turned to Ruby, curiosity spiked. 'Who's William?'

'Belle's boyfriend.'

 _Boyfriend?! She hasn't mentioned a boyfriend to me_ , Neal thought to himself, trying to calm his suddenly racing heart and maintain a neutral expression. 'She's seeing someone?'

'Yup.'

'Is it serious?'

'Quite serious I think,' Ruby said, trying to maintain her patience despite the interruptions.

Oblivious to Ruby's frustrations, or simply too desperate for more information to care, he persisted. 'How long has it been going on?'

'About three months.'

'Three months?! Why didn't she tell me?' he asked, hurt evident in his tone. He thought he and Belle were supposed to be best friends. As her best friend he'd have expected her to share such a significant change in her life with him.

'I don't know Neal. Ask her.' Ruby sighed and paused the movie, getting up to refill her glass in the kitchen. She stopped by his chair and leaned down to whisper in his ear. 'You should have taken your chance when you had it.' She squeezed his shoulder affectionately and picked up his empty glass as she went.

Neal leaned back in his chair, losing himself in thought. _Fuck_. That was not at all news he had expected to hear and it threw him.

He eyed Belle as she came back into the room, but decided not to say anything just yet. He would work out what he wanted to say first and plan it all out. There might still be time to take his chance, if he was clever about it.

* * *

A couple of days later, a lazy Saturday morning, found Belle preparing a pot of coffee, humming to herself as she boiled the kettle. Gold was due back later that day and she couldn't wait to see him again. He'd been away all week on business in California, in what he hoped were final talks to sell Storybrooke Publishers. The negotiations had gone on for longer than he had anticipated, or liked, but it looked as though they might finally sign a contract that week.

Belle was excited by the possibility of the deal finally going through, not only because of the obvious fact that it meant that Gold would no longer be her boss, but also because these negotiations had meant a number of trips to California over the past three months and she hoped that by closing the deal he could spend more time with her in New York. She found she always missed him terribly while he was away.

As she was taking the cups of coffee over to the dining table she heard the front door open, signalling the return of Ruby with croissants and the morning newspapers. 'What took you so long? The coffee's ready.'

Belle looked up as Ruby rounded the corner into the kitchen area. Fear gripped her when she saw the grave expression on her housemate's face. 'What happened?'

'Before you get upset remember where this is coming from, ok?'

'Ruby what the hell are you talking about? You're scaring me.'

In response Ruby held up a magazine.

Belle gasped.

The colour drained from her face, coffee cups crashing to the ground.

On the front cover of the magazine a bold headline read ' _On again, off again Hollywood romance back on again?_ ' and was accompanied by two photographs. The first showed a man and a woman having lunch together. The man was very obviously Gold and according to the magazine the woman, who had her back to the camera, was famous Hollywood actress Cora Mills. No harm there. Just two people eating together. No, it was the second photo that caused the bile to rise up Belle's throat. The photo, although very blurry, depicted two people, allegedly the same two people, sharing a passionate kiss in the entranceway to that same restaurant.


	5. Chapter 5

Next update, as promised! Thanks for reading!

 **Chapter 5**

Belle felt like she was drowning. Like she'd been thrown into an icy pool and couldn't reach the surface and was losing air fast. She could see Ruby's lips moving, but she couldn't hear a word being said. Wave after wave of ice cold shock crashed through her.

 _No! This couldn't possibly be happening. Not again._

Another glance at the magazine cover brought her back to reality. And with it came the tears. Like a dam bursting. Head spinning, she snatched the magazine out of Ruby's hand and fled to her bedroom.

Pain slammed into her chest so hard it hurt. It physically hurt. She fell onto her bed, her body erupting in uncontrollable sobs, tears streaming down her face, lungs burning with the need for oxygen.

One single thought ran through her mind over and over again.

 _How? How could he do this to me?_

She'd thought he was different. She'd thought she might be in love with him, had seen a future with him. She'd let her guard down for him, had started to let him into her heart and he'd just stormed in and tore it apart. Just like that.

A noise interrupted her thoughts. Turning to the side she realised it was her phone ringing on the nightstand.

It was his name lighting up the screen.

Overcome with such rage as she had never felt before she picked up.

' _Hey Belle, I'm back -'_

'How dare you?' she muttered thunderously, voice shaking with anger and tears.

' _What?'_

'How _dare_ you think you can call me after what you did?'

' _I don't understand. What are you talking about?'_

'You disgust me,' she scoffed, hanging up and throwing her phone across the room for good measure.

* * *

 _What the fuck was that about?!_

Gold felt like pinching himself. Did that really just happen? He wracked his brain, trying to work out what Belle could possibly have been referring to, but he really couldn't think of anything.

Originally intending to head home from the airport first to freshen up, he instead told his driver to take him straight to her apartment. Clearly something was going on.

* * *

Ruby could hear Belle crying from the kitchen, and it broke her heart. But as much as she wanted to comfort her friend, she knew it was best to leave Belle to process the news in her own time. She needed space.

Ruby's thoughts drifted back to earlier that morning. Popping out to pick up breakfast, she had been reaching for a newspaper when her eyes had caught the headline on the front page of a gossip magazine on the shelf above. Drawn in by curiosity she had picked up the magazine to find out who the headline was about, and that was when she'd seen the photos of William Gold and Cora Mills. Although the one photo clearly showed them having lunch together, the one next to it that was allegedly them kissing was incredibly blurry. It was difficult to identify the man, his face hidden in shadow by the doorway of the restaurant. Ruby's immediate thought was that it could have been anyone. As much as she'd been loathe to, she'd figured it best that she take the magazine home and show Belle herself before she found out some other way.

Ruby didn't want to believe the article. She'd met William a number of times over the past three months and could clearly see the adoration he felt for Belle. Whether it was in the looks he gave her, or the way he spoke with her, or in the gentle touches when they were together, as if he needed that confirmation that she was indeed real. Surely he wouldn't have done this to her. There had to be more to the story. And Ruby would simply have to help Belle realise that before she did something rash.

* * *

An hour later the crying had quietened down but still Belle had not emerged from her room. The ringing of the door bell pulled Ruby away from the newspaper she had been reading.

'Ruby? It's William. Can I come in please?' came the voice over the intercom.

'I'm not sure you should be here right now.'

'Please Ruby. I have no idea what's going on. I need to speak to Belle.'

The obvious anguish in his tone pulled at her heartstrings and she let him into the building, waiting by the door to the apartment for him to appear at the top of the stairs.

'Can you please tell me what the hell is going on?' he demanded when he saw her. 'I phoned her and she was crying, talking about something I did, but she hung up before I could find out was wrong. I have no clue what I'm supposed to have done.'

Either he was telling the truth or he was a damn good liar, Ruby decided. 'You should probably talk to her yourself. She's in her room.'

He marched through the apartment to Belle's bedroom and, after knocking but receiving no response, he gently opened the door.

The sight that greeted him broke his heart. There was Belle, curled up on her bed, surrounded by a sea of tissues, her face red and wet from the tears. He wanted nothing more than to take her pain away.

'Hey.'

She looked up and saw him standing in the doorway. 'What the hell are you doing here? Get out!' she screamed, rolling over and turning her back to him.

As he took a step into the room his attention was caught by a magazine on the floor in front of her bed, his name jumping out at him. _What the fuck?_ He bent down to pick it up and suddenly all became clear.

He looked back at Belle. Surely she doesn't - 'Belle you don't believe this do you?! It's obviously a load of crap.'

'Looks pretty real to me,' she sniffed.

'You can't be serious Belle! This article is bullshit. I had lunch with her the other day, but that was it. I have no idea where this other photo even comes from.' He took a closer look at it. 'This is an old photo! Look at my hair.'

When she didn't turn around he took a step closer to the bed. 'Belle, please look at me. Sweetheart -'

' _Don't_ sweetheart me.'

'This is absolute crap Belle. I would never cheat on you! Cora and I were in a relationship once, yes, but it was a long time ago and I feel nothing for her. I was in that restaurant for a meeting and I bumped into her. We had lunch together and then I left for another meeting. Nothing more than that. I have no idea where this other photo has appeared from, but it must be at least fifteen years old. These people are just desperate for a story.'

But still she refused to turn around.

Fear and panic flooded Gold's body as he suddenly realised how serious this was. How could she even for a second believe this story over his words? Didn't she trust him? He couldn't lose her. He just couldn't. She was the best thing to have happened to him since the birth of his son for goodness sake. 'Belle why would I kiss someone else when I'm in love with you?'

The sniffing came to a very sudden end. 'You're - you're what?' she croaked.

'I love you Belle. I am hopelessly in love with you. You make me so happy sweetheart,' he said. 'You make me stronger, a better person. When I'm with you I forget all the bad things and focus on the good - '

'No! You don't get to manipulate me like that,' she interrupted.

He sighed in frustration. Clearly he wasn't getting through to her. 'I'm not manipulating you. Just trying to make you realise that I would never hurt you like this. Don't you trust me?'

There was silence for a moment before she replied. 'I - I do. It's just…complicated.'

'Then help me understand! We've been together for three months and you would rather believe some gossip magazine over me.'

'I can't. Not right now.'

He sighed, rubbing his forehead, not sure what else to say.

'I think you should leave,' she mumbled into her pillow.

Tears gathered in his eyes. How could she not believe him? Not trust him? She had immediately assumed the worst of him and that stung like hell. He'd thought they had a strong, honest relationship. But apparently not.

He gazed at her a moment longer before turning and walking towards the door. Clearly there was nothing else to do at that point, and, as much as it scared him, perhaps giving her space to clear her head and process his words would help her see that he was telling the truth.

At the doorway he looked back to her one more time. 'By the way, the reason I called was to say that I've signed the contract to sell Storybrooke Publishers. So I guess there's nothing standing in our way anymore.'

And with that he left the room.

* * *

Ruby was waiting for him in the living room when he emerged from the hallway.

'How is she?'

'Not good. I don't think she wants to believe me,' he said, voice weak with unshed tears. 'That article is a load of absolute bullshit Ruby. I would never do that to her.'

'I know. Just give her some time. This has brought up some bad memories for her. Has she ever told you about Gaston?'

'Only that they used to be engaged.'

'Did she tell you why they broke up?'

He shook his head.

'It's not my place to tell, but I'm sure she'll tell you about it at some point and then you'll understand why she's reacting this way.' She rested her hand reassuringly on his shoulder. 'She's just in shock right now. It'll be ok.'

He nodded, wishing he had even an ounce of Ruby's confidence, and left the apartment.

* * *

From her room Belle heard the front door shut and burst into a fresh round of tears. She felt so overwhelmed she didn't know what to think. When she had seen that magazine cover she had been so overcome by shock that her emotions had raced away with her, to the point where it hadn't even occurred to her that the magazine story might not have been true. She had been so ready to think the worst of him, to assume that he was just like Gaston.

But then hearing him tell her that the article was fake and declaring his love for her… She wanted to believe him so badly, for it all to be ok again. It broke her heart that he thought she didn't trust him. Of course she did, but trust was a difficult thing for her. Her trust had been broken so often in the past that her immediate go to reaction was that she was being betrayed again.

She took some deep breaths and as her mind started to calm down she tried to look at the matter objectively. She picked up the magazine from where Gold had left it on the edge of the bed. Although the one photo clearly showed him having lunch with this Cora woman, the other photo _was_ very blurry. And the closer she looked at it the more she realised that perhaps it wasn't him. Not the current him anyway. It was so difficult to tell.

Belle fell back onto her pillow with a groan and closed her eyes. Had she just fucked everything up?

Her head hurt and eventually the exhaustion from that morning threw her into a dreamless sleep.

* * *

Gold left Belle's apartment and got into his car, feeling like his world was falling apart. The past three months, the happiest months he'd had in twenty odd years, had been erased in only a few moments.

And he knew exactly where to lay the blame.

Hands shaking with anger, he took his phone out of his pocked and dialled a long forgotten number.

' _Gold, darling! Couldn't get enough of me at lunch the other day?'_

'You are going to pay for what you did, _dearie_.'

* * *

Next chapter: The situation will be resolved and we'll learn more about Cora and Gaston.


	6. Chapter 6

I've decided to split the original chapter into two again, so there'll be another update later this week. Enjoy!

 **Chapter 6**

Gold didn't hear from Belle again that day.

After leaving her apartment he had gone home and tried to distract with work. The sale of Storybrooke Publishers had been agreed the previous day and he needed to finish writing up the final contract and put the sale to bed.

But he couldn't concentrate. He'd manage to put one sentence on the screen at a time before her crying face would appear in front of him and he'd feel the need to check his phone, despite knowing it would have made a noise if a message had come through. He'd then have to try and refocus himself all over again before the cycle would repeat itself a minute later. After an hour he gave up and turned to plan B, reaching for the whisky bottle he kept in the cupboard behind his desk. He didn't care that it wasn't even lunchtime yet. He just needed something to numb the pain.

Because this situation hurt. It hurt so fucking much. Because of him she was upset and he apparently couldn't do anything to make it better. He so wished he could just snap his fingers and make everything ok again. The sight that had greeted him when he had entered her room that morning, of her lying on her bed in floods of tears, would haunt him for the rest of his miserable, lonely life.

The fact that he hadn't heard from her yet convinced him that she didn't believe him and it was getting to the point where he actually dreaded hearing from her because he knew it would be the break up.

He took a swig of whisky. Maybe… maybe it was for the best. She could do so much better than him anyway. He was just holding her back. He wasn't even that surprised that she didn't trust him. She'd probably read up on his past and realised what kind of monster he was. He couldn't blame her. First Milah and Bae, then Cora… and now Belle. Lovely, sweet Belle.

He was just destined to be alone.

* * *

Gold woke up the next morning to a pounding headache. Slowly cracking open one eye and then the other, he found himself lying on the sofa, his suit crumpled, and an empty whisky bottle lying on the floor nearby.

He rubbed his forehead in an attempt to ease the rhythmic beating inside his head, only to realise a few seconds later that the pounding was coming from the front door and not inside his head after all. This was then confirmed by the incessant ringing of the doorbell.

Clearly someone was desperate to speak to him.

He eased himself gingerly up from the sofa as the room spun around him and reached for his cane.

'Coming!' he called hoarsely.

He shuffled towards the door, opening it to find Belle standing there.

He blinked once. Then twice. Was he still asleep? Had the whisky caused him to hallucinate?

The momentary elation he felt at seeing her was crushed by gut wrenching dread. Perhaps she'd come to break up with him in person rather than by phone. _How thoughtful_.

 _Well, fine_. He straightened his back and puffed out his chest, a steely mask settling across his face. If she wanted to do it like that he could handle it.

'Can I come in?' She asked quietly, finding it difficult to make eye contact with him, he noticed. _At least look me in the eyes when you break my heart._

'I'm sure you don't need to come inside to break up with me. We can just get it over and done with here,' he sneered.

'What are you talking about?'

'That's why you're here isn't it?'

'What? No, of course not! I came to apologise.'

 _Oh_.

 _Oh shit_. An apology was definitely _not_ what he had expected. Nor deserved. _Why on earth does she want to apologise?!_

'I don't understand.'

'Well maybe if you let me in I can explain.'

More than a little stunned, he stood aside as she entered the apartment.

'What is that smell? Did you open a distillery in here or something?' she commented, nose wrinkling in disgust, as she walked into the living room.

He followed her and grabbed the empty bottle. 'Sorry. I - er - got a bit carried away yesterday.'

She took the bottle out of his hand and placed it on the coffee table behind her, reaching back to take his hand in both of hers. 'I am so sorry about yesterday. You're absolutely right, I should have believed you right from the start, rather than jump to conclusions. It's not that I don't trust you, because I do. It's just that something like this happened to me before and I lost myself in the past and got scared. But I want to explain everything to you. You deserve to know the truth.'

Gold breathed a sigh of relief, his shoulders relaxing. 'You have nothing to apologise for. I wouldn't have trusted me either. It's not exactly pleasant news to wake up to on a Saturday morning.'

'But it's nothing to do with not trusting you. I need you to know that. It's entirely about me and my past and - '

She was suddenly interrupted by a gentle rumbling sound coming from the man in front of her. She looked down at his stomach and noticed that he was still wearing the suit from the previous day, shirt rather sexily unbuttoned, though unfortunately countered by the stench of stale alcohol surrounding him. His hair was a mess, his eyes bloodshot. Clearly his night hadn't been any better than hers.

'How about you take a shower and freshen up while I'll make you some breakfast? Then we can talk everything through properly,' Belle suggested.

He nodded and they parted ways.

* * *

After showering and eating Gold felt infinitely better and ready to tackle what was sure to be a serious conversation as they settled themselves with cups of steaming coffee on the sofa.

'I need to explain to you why I reacted that way,' Belle started.

'Belle you don't have to talk about anything you're not comfortable with.'

'No, this is important. You didn't deserve to be treated that way yesterday.' She took a deep breath, gathering her thoughts before she began. 'You remember I told you I was once engaged?'

Gold nodded. 'To Gaston.'

'That's right. We met shortly after I left university and had been together for about three years when he asked me to marry him. We were already living together by that point and things were good, so it seemed the logical next step. At the time I thought I could be happy with him. Though the happiness I've shared with you over the past three months has shown me how wrong I was,' she added. 'Anyway, shortly after the proposal he started acting strange. As an investment banker he always used to go away a lot on business. But then he started going away even more frequently than he used to and came home later each evening. He always told me it was business, that it was a particularly busy time at the bank, and I naively believed him.

'One day I was tidying up the bedroom when a pile of magazines fell off his bedside table. And out fell an ultrasound photo. It was dated from a couple of weeks previously and I wasn't aware of any of his relatives being pregnant. There was a name on the photo so I googled it and turns out the photo belonged to a woman who worked with Gaston. I found her Facebook page and it was just full of photos of the two of them together - at parties, on holiday, at fancy restaurants here in the city - all while I was sitting at home playing the ignorant fiancé, cooking his dinner, doing his laundry. I felt so humiliated.' She paused to release a breath. 'I later found out that she was just one of many women he had on the side. I started packing straight away, but before I could leave he came home. I confronted him about it and of course he tried to deny everything. And when he realised that I didn't believe him, he got angry -'

'Did he hurt you?' Gold interjected. He'd listened silently to Belle's story, the anger slowly bubbling away inside, but the thought that someone might lay a hand to her was one step too far.

'No. No he didn't. But I didn't feel comfortable at all. He said such nasty things. About how I was useless anyway, and that I'd realise my mistake and come crawling back. I eventually managed to get out and that's when I moved in with Ruby. I still can't believe I was so stupid. How did I not see it sooner?'

Gold reached for her hand. 'He probably hid it very well. I've met plenty of people like him over the years. You have absolutely no reason to blame yourself.'

She squeezed his hand, silently thanking him for his support. 'After we broke up he would try and get in contact, telling me how sorry he was and that I was the only one he wanted to be with. By that point the child had been born. I can't believe he actually thought he could win me back!'

'Does he still contact you?'

'Not so often anymore. Only occasionally when he's drunk and alone.'

'Why didn't you change your number?' Gold asked.

'I did, several times,' Belle replied. 'But he was clever. He was friendly with my father - that should have been warning enough that he wasn't a good guy - and he'd go to him to get my latest number. Eventually I just gave up and ignored his texts instead.'

'Want me to track him down? I'm sure we could get a restraining order.'

'No, I'm sure it's fine. He hasn't been in touch for a few months now. I think we're ok.'

'Belle I'm so sorry you had to go through that. Please know that I would never do anything like that to you.'

She squeezed his hand again. 'I know that. But seeing your face on that magazine cover yesterday and the photo of you kissing her… It just brought everything back and I got lost in the memories. I guess my go-to reaction was to believe it. I'm so sorry I hurt you.'

He reached for her and pulled her into his arms, running a soothing hand up and down her back as she clutched him tightly. 'Please don't apologise Belle. You have nothing to be sorry for. I'm the one who should apologise. I had no idea Cora would try and pull that stunt. Otherwise I never would have had lunch with her in the first place. She and I - we have a difficult past.'

Belle pulled back to look at him. 'It's ok. You said you don't have any feelings for her anymore, that it's all in the past. I trust you.'

'I know. But you told me about Gaston and I think it's important that I tell you about Cora.'

Belle left his embrace and retook her seat on the sofa, taking a sip of coffee that had long gone cold as Gold worked out where to start.

'I've known Cora for over twenty years and for much of that time I thought she was the love of my life. We meet about a year after Milah, my ex wife, left. I didn't handle the divorce terribly well and threw myself into my work, trying to further my career. All I wanted was to earn enough money to be able to provide for my family in the way that my parents couldn't do for me. That involved a lot of business meetings and social events to attend, which meant increasing amounts of time away from my son, Bae, who I had full custody of.

'I met Cora at a party in New York and we hit it off right away. She was a young, up-and-coming actress at the time and I invested in a couple of her movies which gave my career a big boost. Soon after our relationship took a romantic turn. It was exciting and adventurous, but also destructive. There was a lot of drinking involved and occasionally drug taking. Of course Bae was never _ever_ exposed to any of this, he was always safe at home with a babysitter. But that was the problem. I started spending more time with Cora and less time with my son. How must he have felt?' Tears started to well in Gold's eyes just thinking about it. 'I was so desperate to feel wanted and Cora wanted me. The press was all over our relationship and we constantly had people following us when we were out in public. But at the time that was just part of the fun. I thought I was falling in love with her.

'Things were good between us for a while. She spent a lot of time with me in New York when she wasn't shooting movies. But then one day she announced that she was getting married. To someone else. Some actor. She promised me that it was a fake marriage, to help her career, and we could continue our relationship in secret. And I stupidly believed her. See, you're not the only one who believed in the name of love,' he said ruefully. 'Anyway, we carried on our secret relationship for a while. Until she became pregnant and confessed that it was her husband's baby. Turns out their relationship wasn't as fake as she had me believe.'

Gold paused to take a sip of coffee as Belle watched on silently, her heart breaking listening to what he'd gone through just to feel valued, and what his son must have gone through as a consequence.

'I should mention, by the way, that she had a life of luxury the whole time we were together. She wanted for nothing. Plus, I was still funding a number of her movies at this point. Don't get me wrong, they were good films and made me a lot of money, but for her it was a job.

'When I found out that she was effectively cheating on me with her husband I ended it. And it broke me… But rather than look try to reconnect with my son as I should have done, I once again threw myself into work. Are you sensing a pattern here? Work had become my vice, the only thing I could control in this world that seemed intent on breaking me.

'Then a couple of years later she came back. She claimed that she hadn't stopped loving me and that she was filing for divorce. How many nights I had lain awake, wanting her to come back and say those words. I was so 'happy' that I failed to noticed her financial struggles. She hadn't made a movie since her daughter, Regina, had been born. Anyway, we reconciled, which the press absolutely loved, and spent another couple of years together. It was a long distance relationship because of her daughter, but I was ready for more. By that point I'd pretty much lost my relationship with Bae. He actually asked to go to boarding school to get away from me. He hated Cora and wanted nothing to do with her, which he repeatedly tried to tell me, but I didn't listen and that only strained our relationship further.'

Another pause and another sip of coffee.

'I was ready to marry Cora, but she kept putting it off, claiming that her 'ex' husband was dragging his feet with the divorce. Always one excuse after another. And then came the déjà vu moment, the moment that, had I not been blinded by desperation, I would have seen coming a mile off. She announced that she was giving her marriage another ago.

'She'd used me. The whole time. She had managed to convince me to fund another couple of films which had set her up nicely financially and got her career back on track. Then when she didn't need me anymore she dumped me. I was heart broken.

'She left the house and I tried chasing her to talk it all through, but I fell down the stairs. I woke up in hospital a couple of days later with a pounding head and an ankle that was so fucked that three surgeries couldn't sort it out. They kept me in for a total of five days and during that time not a single person came to visit me. Not Cora. Not my son, who by that point had left for university. That's when I realised that I'd hit rock bottom. I needed to change. I didn't want to be that person anymore,' he said, his voice hoarse with emotion.

Belle desperately wanted to reach out and take him into her arms, to reassure him that she wanted him, that she loved him. But she knew she had to allow him the space to let everything out. He'd probably never told anyone his story before.

He cleared his throat and continued. 'I started off by visiting Bae at university. I tried to convince him that I was turning my life around, that I wanted to rebuild our relationship. But of course he didn't believe me. And why should he? I wouldn't have believed me. So I knew I had to show him. I cut off all ties with Cora. I'm not blaming her for my life choices, but she was certainly a bad influence. I deleted her number, I threw everything away that reminded me of her.

'I then cleaned up my business practices. I'd been involved in some less than legal dealings when I was starting out, just to get my foot in the door, so I made sure to give all the money I'd earned from those early deals to charity. All this was in the hope that when Bae came back for the holidays he'd see that I'd changed and give me another chance. But of course he didn't come back. At the end of every semester I waited and hoped, but he never came back. I haven't spoken to him since I went to see him shortly before his graduation four years ago. That's when he told me he never wanted to see me again. I figured I may as well grant him one wish.'

A single tear slid down his cheek. But he continued. He had to finish his story.

'My heart broke all over again and I'd pretty much been operating on autopilot for a few years, until I met you. You brought life back into my world Belle. You gave me a reason to keep going. Because of you I want to continue to be a better man.'

He took her hands in his own. 'I didn't know Cora would be in that restaurant that day. I'd just wrapped up a meeting and was finishing my coffee, feeling happier than I had in a long time - I had just shaken hands with the new owner of Storybrooke Publishers, I had you to come back to in New York. Then she appeared out of nowhere and sat down opposite me and I was feeling generous, so I stayed for a quick bite to eat. The paparazzi must have gotten the wrong impression. And as for that old photo of us kissing, she must have had it stored away, waiting for the right moment. Her career has taken another dip lately so she probably saw an opportunity to get her name back out there.

'But that lunch made me realise something. It made me realise how toxic our relationship was and how much happier I am with you. With you it's real and genuine. With her it was all fake, based on lies and money. And it was during that lunch that I realised that I'm love with you. I'm sorry, I know yesterday probably wasn't the right time to say it.'

He reached up and gently carressed her cheek. 'So I know you're scared sweetheart. But at least be comforted by the fact that I am fucking terrified as well. I guess neither of us has been very lucky in love in the past. But as long as we're together and honest with each other we can tackle anything.'

He brought her hands up to his lips and kissed her knuckles. The tears that had been building up in Belle's eyes as she listened to his tale finally spilled over. Her heart reached out to him. Of course she acknowledged that he wasn't entirely innocent and she couldn't really blame his son for reacting as he had at the time. But if only he could see his father now, could see how much he'd changed, the way he'd turned his life around.

As she leaned over and kissed him, Belle decided right then that she would help him try and reconnect with his son. He deserved it.

* * *

How much do you hate Cora and Gaston right now? They'll be making appearances later on, but next time it's Dorothy's leaving party where things come to a head between Belle and Neal, and Gold has a surprise planned for Belle.


	7. Chapter 7

Thanks for reading!

 **Chapter 7**

As September gave way to October and the leaves started to fall from the trees a cold spell engulfed the city. Winter was approaching and so too was Dorothy's departure date for Boston. Work had been busier than usual for her, as she tied up any loose ends she had in order to make for a smoother transition to the Boston office. But all preparations had been put on hold for one weekend in mid October to enjoy the leaving party that Belle had organised.

More guests had been invited than would ever fit in the apartment, far too much money had been dished out on decorations and the day of the party had been spent rushing around the kitchen preparing enough food to feed a village.

Belle had worked hard to ensure that this would be an enjoyable experience for Dorothy and Ruby, a celebration rather than a send off, but she couldn't shake off her nerves. She was feeling fairly confident that the party itself would go well, but she was also very aware that this would be the first time her wider network of friends would meet Gold. And she wasn't sure how the evening would unfold. The sale of Storybrooke Publishers had been safely completed four weeks previously and meant that technically nothing prevented them from making their relationship public. Belle had invited a couple of friends from work who were also good friends of Dorothy's, including Neal, and she had no doubts that they'd do a better job of recognising their former boss than she had all those months ago. So their secret was bound to come out.

And Belle wasn't sure how she felt about that.

She and Gold had spoken about whether he should attend the party or not, given the likelihood of him being recognised and their secret being revealed, but they had decided that an evening amongst friends would probably allow for a more gradual introduction to the public eye than if they went out to dinner together and were spotted by the paparazzi. Belle just wasn't sure she wanted their relationship to be discovered at all, as inevitable as it was in a city like New York.

* * *

As the party got into its swing and the majority of guests had arrived Belle was just starting to wonder where her boyfriend was when she felt her phone vibrating in her pocket. Checking the identity of the caller she excused herself and retreated to her bedroom to answer it.

'Hey William, are you on your way?'

' _I'm sorry sweetheart, but some urgent business has come up. I don't think I'll be able to make it tonight.'_

'Oh, that's a shame. Could you not maybe come a bit later? My friends would like to meet you.'

Gold's heart clenched uncomfortably. He knew he should be there, that it was an important night for Ruby and Dorothy and that Belle wanted him there. But he also knew that this business was important to him and his future happiness with Belle. It was an opportunity he simply couldn't pass up on.

'Probably not, this could take a while,' he said. 'But you have a good night and I'll see you tomorrow morning for brunch ok?'

' _Ok, see you tomorrow.'_

 _I love you…_ The words were on the tip of his tongue, but he forced himself to hang up the phone before he accidentally said them out loud.

Because he wanted to. Desperately. She was incredible and beautiful and deserved to be told every day how amazing she was. However, he was very aware that she hadn't returned his sentiments since he'd first uttered them over a month ago. Not yet anyway. And he didn't dare say repeat them until she felt ready to say them back.

Gold slipped his phone back into his pocket and turned to the man standing in his living room.

'I didn't know you were seeing someone?' his companion mentioned curiously as Gold prepared him a drink.

'Well kept secret.'

'You look happy.'

'I am happy,' Gold replied over the lump of guilt in his throat and gestured for his friend to take a seat. 'Anyway, it's been a while and I thought we could catch up while you're in town. I hear you're planning to invest in Cora Mills' new film?'

* * *

Belle emerged from her room, ashamed to admit that she felt more relieved than disappointed that he couldn't make it. At least that way their relationship could remain a secret for a little while longer.

'William sends his apologies. He can't make it tonight,' she said as she approached Ruby and Neal.

'That's a shame. I'd liked to have met this guy you've been hiding from me,' Neal commented casually.

'Neal…' Ruby said in quiet warning, sensing the subtle sting behind his words.

His tone didn't escape Belle's notice either and she was immediately on the defensive, arms folded across her chest. 'What's that supposed to mean?'

'Just saying it would have been nice to meet him, that's all.' He took a sip from his drink. 'Why can't he make it?'

'Some urgent business came up.'

He smirked. 'At nine o'clock on a Saturday night?'

'Neal, leave it,' Ruby said sternly, desperate to avoid a scene.

But Belle refused to back down. 'What are you implying?'

'Nothing, just thought he'd be here to see Dorothy off. She will be gone for quite a while after all. But apparently he has more important things to do.'

'Ok what the hell is your problem Neal? You've been acting like this all night.'

'I have no problem,' he said innocently.

'Right, you're just being a dick for no reason.'

'Guys please,' Ruby hissed as heads started to turn in their direction.

Finally noticing the audience they had attracted, Belle grabbed Neal's wrist and pulled him into her bedroom, away from curious eyes.

'Wow, at least be subtle Belle. My girlfriend's in the next room.'

She turned on him, eyes burning with fury, hands planted firmly on hips. 'You _do_ have a problem and I want to know what it is. You've been acting weird for weeks now and I'm fed up with it. We're supposed to be best friends. Why won't you talk to me?'

'Why didn't you tell me you have a boyfriend?'

'What? What's that got to do with anything?'

'As you said, we're supposed to be best friends. It hurts to find out that my best friend has been keeping such a big secret from me.'

'I - I thought you knew.'

'Only because Ruby told me. Not you.'

'Neal, I'm sorry. I didn't realise it was such a big deal,' Belle said. 'With work being so busy lately it must have slipped my mind. We've hardly seen each other outside of the office recently.'

'That's because whenever you do leave the office you're with _him_.'

'I'm sorry, I've neglected you haven't I?'

He nodded and let himself be pulled in for a hug. 'I've missed you Belle.'

'I've missed you too,' she said, rubbing his back.

As he held her in his arms Neal realised just how much he really had missed her recently and that perhaps he had been a little harsh in accusing her of spending all of her free time with this mysterious boyfriend, when in actual fact it was him who had been trying to avoid her. He had figured that if he spent as little time as possible with Belle then the feelings he had for her would eventually fade away.

As her arms tightened around him, however, he realised just how wrong he was and that he simply couldn't avoid her, no matter how much he wanted to.

He sighed. _Perhaps it was time to accept the truth._

Leaning back slightly, he gazed down at her. 'Just tell me one thing. Are you happy? Does he make you happy?'

'Happier than I've ever been.'

'Then I'm happy for you,' he said as he pulled her back into his embrace, hiding from her the sadness he knew had filled his eyes.

'Thank you,' Belle said, squeezing him. 'That means a lot to me. And you will meet him soon, I promise.' She stepped out of his embrace. 'Is there anything else you want to talk about?'

He looked at her. Now would be the moment. _Do it!_

But he couldn't. He couldn't do that to her. He loved her too much to mess with her happiness.

'No,' he sighed.

'So we're all good?'

'We're all good. Sorry for being a dick.'

Belle grinned and they headed back out to the party, but Neal was suddenly no longer in the mood and went home with his girlfriend a short while later.

* * *

'Can I open my eyes yet?'

'Not yet. Just a little further.'

'Where are we going?'

'You'll see,' Gold said with a grin as he drove them up a dirt track hidden in the depths of an ancient forest.

It had been a busy time for them both over the past month and they hadn't been able to see each other as much as they'd have liked. After saying a tearful goodbye to Dorothy at the beginning of November Belle had once again found herself tackling a mountain of work at the office, whilst simultaneously spending more time with Ruby, who had been struggling with the separation from her girlfriend, and trying to see Neal more regularly outside of work as well. Gold, meanwhile, had been dealing with some difficulties with one of his companies that had required long hours every day holed up in the office with the company's governing body and a bunch of lawyers, too tired and fed up to do more than sleep when he and Belle did have a chance to be together.

When they had both found themselves with a few days off for Thanksgiving, Gold had decided to surprise Belle with a trip, but had refused to tell her where they were going, despite her cheeky attempts at looking for clues in the boot of his car. He was lucky really that his car had one of those boots that opened via a lever next to the steering wheel, rather than a button at the back of the car. A fact that Belle had not been aware of before she'd been caught.

They had already been driving for a few hours when he had asked her to close her eyes for the final stretch, wanting to see the look on her face when they arrived.

'Ok, you can open your eyes now,' he said as he brought the Cadillac to its final stop.

Belle did so and found herself outside a beautiful wooden cabin, surrounded as far as the eye could see by woodland, and with no other civilisation in sight. 'Oh William, it's beautiful!'

'I thought it might be nice for us to escape all the holiday stress for a few days. I've got plenty of food so we won't need to leave, unless you want to explore the local area of course,' Gold said.

'Four days hidden away in a beautiful cabin, just you and me? That sounds perfect.' Belle leaned over and gave him a kiss before getting out of the car and helping to bring the bags in.

Gold unlocked the front door and gave Belle the tour. Though modest in size, the cabin provided all that one could need, including two bedrooms, an elegant free standing tub in the bathroom and a large fireplace in the living room, perfect for snuggling up in front of on cold winter nights.

'It may not be much but it's got the essentials,' he said as he put the food away.

'I love it,' she replied gazing around in awe before spotting a bookshelf in the corner and making her way towards it. 'I can't believe you waited this long to bring me here!'

Once they'd settled in, Gold made a start on his version of a Thanksgiving meal. Since neither of them were American he decided to introduce Belle to some Scottish cuisine with a traditional meal of haggis, neeps and tatties, served with a dram of his finest whisky, and for dessert a Cranachan, made from a delicious combination of raspberries, cream, sugar, honey, oatmeal and of course more whisky.

Though slightly hesitant at first to try the haggis, knowing as she did what it consisted of, Belle was soon helping herself to seconds. And thirds.

Once they'd eaten more than their stomachs could handle Gold brought out an antique chess set and they settled in for an evening of board games, the darkness that had fallen outside preventing them from venturing out to explore the surrounding forest.

* * *

'Have you tried getting in touch with Bae recently?' Belle asked as they were well into their third game, breaking what had been a long silence. They'd won one match each thus far and this was the decider, so tensions were running high.

Taken aback by the sudden question it took Gold a moment to respond. 'I tried calling him a couple of weeks ago, but he didn't answer. Why?'

'Just wondering,' she said as she took his pawn with her knight. 'You have to keep trying you know. You can't give up.'

'Is this you trying to distract me from the game? Where's this coming from?' Gold asked suspiciously. Though he'd told Belle about his past following the Cora saga a couple of months previously, it didn't mean he liked talking about it. The sadness and guilt for Bae hadn't faded in the slightest in the eight years since he'd left for good and Gold feared that eventually the excitement of a relationship with him would wear off, Belle would realise who he truly was and would leave him too.

In his opinion, the less they discussed his past, the better it was for their future together. But the fact that Belle had brought it up showed that it was on her mind and that scared him rather a lot.

'I've been thinking about my father recently and how my relationship with him compares with yours and Bae's. I keep wishing that my father will come up to me one day and prove to me that he's changed and that he genuinely wants to make thinks work between us. And it makes me wonder if perhaps Bae feels the same.'

'If he does feel like that then why won't he accept my calls or agree to see me?'

'Fear of disappointment I imagine. He's been hurt enough times that he feels safer pushing you away than letting you back in and risking getting hurt again.'

'Perhaps. But that still doesn't change the fact that I can't get him to see that I've changed. He's made it clear that he doesn't want me in his life and maybe I just need to accept that,' he sighed, sounding so defeated that Belle couldn't decide if she wanted to cry or yell at him.

In the end she went for an option closer to the latter, taking his wrist and looking him sternly in the eyes. 'You absolutely _cannot_ give up. You say you've changed for him and he deserves to see that. Maybe if he's not answering your calls you need to try a different tactic.'

'Like what? If he doesn't even want to speak to me I doubt he'll appreciate me showing up at his apartment.'

Belle thought for a moment. 'Write him a letter. Explain everything: why you did what you did, understanding that you made mistakes and that you are no longer the same person you were back then, and that you want a chance to make amends. If nothing else, he'll read it out of curiosity. I guarantee it.'

Gold stared at Belle for a long time, running the idea through his mind, small flickers of hope trying to rise up through the years of negativity. _It could work… maybe_. 'Ok. I'll write the letter tomorrow and send it off when we get back. Hopefully that address I have for him is still correct. But I'm not getting my hopes up.'

Belle beamed at him. 'Great!'

And with that she returned her focus to their game, planning her next move.

But Gold's attention was still on their conversation. 'Why are you so keen on this? On my son forgiving me?'

'I want him to know the real you,' she said simply, reaching for her queen. 'And I want him to love you as much as I do.' And took out this knight.

Gold's head snapped up to her face. Had she really just said what he thought she said? The words he'd so been desperate to hear for over two months? 'You - you what?'

She held his gaze. 'I love you.'

The biggest grin she'd ever seen broke out across his face and he rose from the table and walked round to her side, cupping her face in his hands as he leaned down to give her an earth shattering kiss.

'I love you too,' he murmured when they finally broke apart. 'What would I do without you?'

'Best not to find out,' she giggled and got up to kiss him again.

They shuffled across the room as their lips remained locked in a heated embrace and Gold slowly lowered Belle onto the sofa, settling himself above her, kissing his way down her neck as he undid the buttons of her blouse and she loosened his tie.

The unfinished chess competition became a distant memory as they spent the rest of the night showing each other just how much they loved one another.

* * *

The remainder of the weekend was spent in a similar fashion, a combination of lazing around in bed, eating good food and occasionally leaving the shelter of the cabin for some fresh air and a gentle stroll along the shore of the nearby lake. Gold made sure to set aside time to write that letter to his son and all too soon Sunday evening came around and the couple made their way back to the city and to their real lives.

* * *

It was a week later that Belle came home from an evening run to find five missed calls from Gold. Fearing the worst she quickly phoned him back, heaving a sigh of relief when she heard the poorly restrained excitement in his voice on the other end of the line.

'Hey, sorry I was out. What's up?'

' _My son wants to see me.'_

* * *

Next time: Gold meets with his son and Neal meets Belle's boyfriend...


	8. Chapter 8

Thanks for reading so far. Hope you enjoy this update!

 **Chapter 8**

 _Tap tap tap._

 _Tap tap tap._

 _Tap tap -_

A glare from the neighbouring table brought the tapping of Gold's foot to a sudden stop.

Unable to sit still for long, however, he instesd turned his attention to playing with his cutlery.

Until his sweaty palms caused his fork to clatter to the floor and he received another glare. This one he returned with equal enthusiasm, causing the couple to awkwardly return to their meal.

A patient waiter arrived with a new fork and Gold took the chance to order a bottle of water. Perhaps three cups of coffee that morning hadn't been the best idea. He took a few deep breaths and glanced at his watch. Any minute now.

The nerves had been building steadily all week, ever since he'd received that surprise phone call the previous Sunday. He'd almost dropped the phone in shock when he'd answered and heard his son's voice for the first time in four years. It hadn't been a long conversation, which Gold had almost been glad for, struggling as he had been to overcome the shock quickly enough to form coherent sentences. Bae had only said that he'd received the letter and he'd be willing to talk over a coffee the following weekend. Before Gold had really known what was happening Bae had given him a time and meeting place and had hung up.

As Gold sat and waited - having arrived a good twenty minutes early - part of him still couldn't believe it was really happening. He half expected to wake up any second and realise he'd dreamt the whole thing. It was the moment he'd waited years for. And when it had hit him that morning that it could well be his final chance to make amends with his son, he'd frozen up. Completely and utterly unable to move. It had taken Belle the three coffees to get him to calm down enough to finish getting dressed.

 _Belle._

If it hadn't been for her encouragement this never would have happened. What would he do without her? He really didn't know. And he certainly didn't want to find out. He'd been thinking about their future together a lot over the past few weeks. Him, Belle and Bae as a family… Perhaps even a sibling for Bae... Not that he'd discussed any of that with her. He didn't even know if she wanted children. He sometimes felt that any time he brought up the future she'd try and change the subject. _Maybe I should ask -_

His thoughts were suddenly interrupted by the tinkling of the bell above the cafe door, announcing the arrival of a customer.

And there he was.

It had been four years since Gold had last set eyes on his son, but he'd recognise that face anywhere. He rose from his chair and gave an awkward little wave to get his son's attention.

Having spotted him, Bae made his way over to the table. But there was no smile on his face, no happiness in his eyes. In fact, he looked more like he was heading to a long and tiresome business meeting than to a coffee with his estranged father.

Sitting down on the other side of the table he refused to make eye contact, awkwardly gazing around the cafe instead. Gold watched him, noting how he'd changed in just four years. His hair was shorter, he'd let a bit of stubble grow, slight wrinkles had started to appear at the corners of his eyes. Guilt tore Gold apart as he was once again reminded of how much of his son's life he'd missed out on.

The arrival of the waiter put an end to the awkward silence that had started to build between them.

'Cappuccino please,' Bae said, his voice neutral.

'I'm good with the water, thanks,' Gold muttered hoarsely when the waiter turned to him. _Shame we didn't go to a bar. Whisky would be far better right now_ , he thought to himself, taking a disappointing sip of water.

'I honestly wasn't sure you'd come,' he finally said after the waiter had gone.

'Up until about an hour ago I didn't think I would,' Bae replied and looked up at his father for the first time.

Gold almost sobbed when he looked into those eyes. The one feature his son had inherited from him. The only sign that they were even related.

'Thank you. It means a lot to me.'

Bae nodded and looked back down the at the table, absently playing with his fork.

'Bae, I -'

His head snapped back up. 'It's Neal now. Neal Cassidy.'

'You - You changed your name?' Shock crashed through Gold like a tidal wave. That Bae - sorry, Neal - hated him so much that he'd changed his name was honestly something he'd never expected. And it hurt like hell.

'Few years ago now.'

Gold nodded, struggling to find the words after such a revelation.

'Look, what am I doing here?' Neal continued after the waiter had brought his coffee. 'Your letter said you had something to tell me.'

'Yes. I - I thought maybe we could talk,' Gold said. 'About the past.'

'I'm pretty sure I said everything I wanted to say four years ago.'

'I know, but I wanted a chance to apologise. I learnt recently that if you love someone it's important to tell them. And I love you son, so much, and I am _so_ sorry for making you feel like I didn't want you. Because I did, and I still do.'

'Didn't seem like it at the time,' Neal muttered into his coffee.

'I know, and I will never forgive myself for everything I put you through.'

Neal looked back up at him. 'So why did you do it?'

Gold sighed. 'After your mother left I needed to feel wanted. And I guess I thought Cora could give me that.'

'And I couldn't?!' Neal exclaimed. 'I wanted you Dad. I needed you. Why wasn't I good enough?'

Tears welled up in Gold's eyes, the pain in his son's voice tearing him apart. 'Oh son you were. You were too good. And I was an idiot. I felt like such a failure after the divorce and I needed to prove to myself that I could be in a relationship, that I wasn't unlovable.'

'So what you're saying is you were selfish. I was four when she left and I needed you to be there for me, but instead you were off partying and going on holidays with your actress girlfriend. And all that just to prove a point?!'

Gold hung his head. 'There's no excuse.'

'No, there isn't.' Neal said flatly and took a sip of coffee, trying to reign in the years of anger and sadness that were threatening to be unleashed as the conversation went on. 'So what changed?'

'Something happened to me a few years ago that made me realise that I needed to change. I didn't want to be that man anymore. Unfortunately by that point it was too late and I'd already lost you.'

'And now what? Am I supposed to just accept your apology and pretend the last twenty years didn't happen?!' Neal hissed, starting to feel overwhelmed. All he'd ever wanted in life was his father's acknowledgment, to know that he was loved. And there he was, telling Neal everything he'd wanted to hear and he didn't know what to think.

'Do with the apology what you want. I just needed you to know. If you want to give me a second chance it would make me incredibly happy and I would spend the rest of my life making it up to you and showing you that I've changed. On the other hand, if you never want to see me again I'd understand. It would hurt, but I would understand. It's entirely up to you.'

Neal sighed, rubbing his forehead. 'I can't just forgive you with the snap of a finger. Too much has happened. I've had years of therapy trying to come to terms with the fact that you didn't want me. And now I'm finally starting to do well. Life is…pretty good. And then your letter arrived and now I don't know what to think anymore. Besides, how do I know that if I let you back into my life you won't just disappoint me again?'

'You'd have to decide if it's worth the risk I guess. I understand that it would take time to earn back your trust and maybe we could even see a therapist together. But I can tell you I'm doing so much better than I was back then. I've cut back on my work, I'm actually seeing someone at the moment and I can promise you she's nothing like Cora. In fact, I think you'd get on really well with her.'

Neal watched him for a long time, looking for a hint of a lie, for signs of the past, that this was all a facade his father had built up to weasel his was back into his life. But he couldn't find anything. For all intents and purposes it seemed like his father really had changed and genuinely wanted to make amends. 'I don't know. I - I need some time to think about it all. This is quite a big deal. I hated you so much when I left home and I promised myself to never speak to you again. But then I read your letter and it was like a little voice at the back of my head telling me to give you a chance. I tried to ignore it but in the end I couldn't.'

As much as Neal's words stung, Gold couldn't stop the hope from building up inside. 'Take all the time you need,' he replied. 'You've got my number.'

Neal nodded and took another sip of coffee.

* * *

They ended up ordering more drinks as they continued to talk everything through. Neal opened up more as time went on and, although his brutal honesty hurt Gold, he was glad that his son was finally speaking to him. He realised that Neal would probably need to lay all of his feelings and emotions out on the table before they could even think about starting to rebuild their relationship.

So Gold let him talk. And talk. First about how alone he'd felt as a child when his father wouldn't be home in time to say goodnight to him, then about how he felt like he'd been raised by nannies and babysitters and he'd started to question why his parents didn't want him. And then about how that feeling of sadness had grown into resentment of his father, to the point where he'd decided to leave home and never come back.

Gold fought back the tears as his son spoke, hating himself more and more with each word said. He knew he'd made mistakes, but hearing his son's point of view made those feelings of guilt and self loathing infintely worse.

Once Neal had exhausted his ranting about Gold's parenting techniques, or lack thereof, he switched the topic of conversation to his other parent. This was the first time they'd spoken properly about why Milah had left them, Gold having decided that Neal had been too young to understand at the time, and years later, once Neal had been old enough, their relationship had already been too far gone for them to speak about it.

Neal had so many questions: why she left, if they'd done something that caused her to leave, if she'd ever tried to get in contact since. And Gold answered them all. He told Neal about how she'd chosen a different life, one without either of them in it, and that she'd claimed that they'd tied her down and she wanted to go out into the world and live her life without the responsibility of a family. And no, she hadn't tried to get in touch since. In fact, Gold had no clue where she was, if she was still in the USA, if she was even alive or not.

Eventually Neal tired from talking about the past, the emotions of doing so taking their toll, and they moved on to more neutral topics. Gold told Neal about what he'd been up to over the past few years with his various businesses, and in return learned that Neal had actually been working at Storybrooke Publishers since graduating and had settled down in the neighbourhood. Gold had just managed to hold back at the last second from asking if Neal knew Belle, not wanting to reveal their relationship to a colleague without her permission. In fact, he barely mentioned Belle at all, feeling like the subject might be a little sensitive given that part of the reason they'd become estranged from one another in the first place was because of a woman. This was about the two of them right then and no one else.

* * *

A couple of hours later Neal checked his watch and announced that he had to go.

'What's the cane for?' he asked, noticing it for the first time as they rose from the table.

'Old ankle injury. Never healed properly.'

They left the cafe and awkwardly faced one another. After talking for over two hours they suddenly found themselves not knowing what to say.

'I'm heading that way,' Neal muttered, pointing down the street. 'I'll get in touch. Maybe we could go for lunch one day?'

Gold tried to hold back the smile that was threatening to burst across his face. 'I would like that.'

Neal nodded and shuffled off down the street.

Gold watched his son for a moment, the happiness he felt overwhelming him. Never in his wildest dreams had he expected the conversation to go as well as that. Of course it was hard and he couldn't deny that some of the things Bae, no Neal, said had hurt, but they were no less than he deserved, and if it meant that his son needed to let his feelings out in order to learn to trust him again then so be it.

As Neal rounded the corner and disappeared from view, Gold turned on his heels and headed in the opposite direction to deliver the news to his no doubt anxiously waiting girlfriend.

* * *

Belle had been trying to distract herself all afternoon, ever since Gold had left her apartment to meet with Bae. She'd tried reading but she couldn't get through more than a paragraph at a time. Then she'd decided to go for a run, but ten minutes in she'd suddenly realised that what if Gold came back and she wasn't there, so she'd run back again. Then, after taking a quick shower, she'd thought perhaps some television would distract her, but after starting three different movies she'd decided that she didn't want to watch any of them. In the end she'd settled for baking. She wasn't known for being a terribly good baker, but figured the concentration required would distract her from wondering what was going on at the cafe a few blocks away.

The reason she was so nervous was because she was very aware that it was her who had strongly encouraged Gold to try writing that letter to his son and therefore she knew how guilty she'd feel if their meeting didn't turn out how Gold hoped.

Despite constantly telling her that he had no expectations and that he was refusing to get his hopes up, it had been obvious that morning how nervous he was and all she wanted was for things to go well for him.

* * *

An hour, and a lot of dough later, the cookies were finally safely in the oven and Belle was in the process of cleaning up her messy kitchen when she heard a knock on the door.

Leaping across the small apartment to open it, the smile she saw on Gold's face on the other side made her heart soar.

She gave a relieved sigh. Things must have gone well.

His smile widened when he saw her, mirroring her own, as he stepped into the apartment and she threw her arms around him. 'I'm so happy for you,' she murmured into his neck as Sammy the cat purred happily against his favourite guest's legs.

'There's still a long way to go, but it's a start.' He pulled away. 'I'll tell you everything after I've been to the loo. Smells good in here. Are you baking?'

'Shit! The cookies!' Belle raced back to the kitchen as Gold propped his cane against the sofa and made his way down the hall to the bathroom.

Just as she was working out how to turn the oven off she was distracted by another knock on the door. Ruby was away visiting Dorothy in Boston for the weekend, and had taken her keys, and Belle wasn't expecting anyone, so it was with surprise that she opened the door to find Neal.

He held up a bag of chips and a bottle of wine. 'I thought maybe we could have a movie night?' he asked, entering the apartment.

'Erm, I've got company,' Belle replied as she shut the door behind him.

'What's that smell?'

'Oh shit!' Belle exclaimed, rushing back to the oven.

Neal put the movie supplies down on the coffee table, noticing the cane leaning against the sofa. 'Hey, my dad has a cane like that -'

At that moment someone else entered the living room from the hallway and Neal suddenly found himself face to face with the man he'd said goodbye to only moments ago.

'Dad?! What the hell are you doing here?'

'Who's Dad?' Belle asked in confusion, looking up from the oven, a tray of rather burnt cookies in her hand.

And just like that Neal came to a realisation and felt his world crumble. 'Wait a minute... He's your boyfriend?' He pointed his finger towards his father and turned an accusing glare at Belle.

Gold remained silent, the shock preventing him from forming coherent thoughts, the happiness he'd felt minutes before dissolving rapidly as the scene unfolded before him.

As Belle looked closer between the two men she suddenly made the connection. 'Hold on, you're father and son?!'

The tray of burnt cookies fell to the floor.


	9. Chapter 9

Thanks for reading and for the lovely comments. Hope you enjoy this chapter!

 **Chapter 9**

The apartment fell into a tense silence, its occupants trying desperately to make sense of the situation they suddenly found themselves in.

Belle flicked her gaze between the two men standing in front of her. _Father and Son._ How the hell had she not realised?! The vast majority of her time over the past few months had been spent in the company of one or the other of them, and yet she hadn't had even the slightest of inklings.

Gold, meanwhile, was staring intently at the floor, waiting for the situation to unfold, for someone to start shouting. He couldn't imagine how either of them might be feeling and, if given the choice to be anywhere else at that moment, he'd certainly have considered it. Why could things never just be good without something bad needing to happen?

Only Sammy the cat seemed oblivious to the tension in the room, making a dash for the dropped cookies. Though he quickly lost interest when the burnt flavour didn't agree with him and decided instead that it was time for a nap on the sofa. He wasn't usually allowed on the sofa, but a quick glance at his owner showed him that she wasn't looking, so he jumped up and made himself comfortable. He had just closed his eyes when a loud noise caused him to jump with fright.

'So let me get this straight,' Neal said, finally breaking the seemingly eternal silence. 'You, my best friend, and you, my father, are screwing?'

'It's more than that,' Gold muttered.

'Oh I'm sorry, you're "in love",' Neal scoffed. 'Give me a break. I'd ditch him if I were you Belle. He'll only fuck it up eventually, like he always does.'

'That's not fair,' Belle replied, trying to stay calm in the face of Neal's anger.

But he ignored her and turned to his father. 'You know she's young enough to be your daughter right?'

'Neal, that's enough!' Belle said sternly. 'Can't we just sit down and talk this through?'

'I don't think I can talk to either of you right now.' And with that he stormed out of the apartment, pulling the door shut behind him with an almighty slam.

'Bae, wait!' Gold called after him and made to follow, but Belle's hand on his arm held him back.

'Give him some time. It's a shock for everyone.'

Gold sighed. Time was something he didn't have. He needed to speak to his son and smooth the situation out before he lost him again. He didn't want the progress they'd made at the cafe to have all been in vain.

But a look into Belle's calming, reassuring eyes told him she was right. There was no point in trying to talk to Neal when he was in that mood.

He released the door handle and walked over to the sofa, head falling into his hands as he sat down. How on earth could things have gone so wrong so quickly?

Once Belle was sure that Gold wouldn't try to chase after his son, she turned her attention to the mess on the kitchen floor, sending the ruined cookies straight to the bin. She then lifted a sleeping Sammy off the sofa and took him to his real bed, before grabbing a bottle of whisky and two glasses and joining her boyfriend on the sofa.

'You ok?' she asked quietly, handing him a generous measure of whisky.

'Not exactly how I imagined this day ending. I just hope I haven't fucked things up again.'

She laid a reassuring hand on his thigh. 'You didn't do anything wrong. Take no notice of him. He was in shock.'

'Wasn't wrong though.'

'Yes, he was. You won't fuck this up and I'm not "ditching" you. Besides, if anyone's to blame, it's me. I can't believe I didn't make the connection sooner. I see you both all the time. I should have worked it out. Then maybe we could have avoided this situation.'

'You are definitely not to blame, so don't beat yourself up over it. You weren't to know. It's not like we're spitting images of one another. We don't even share the same name.'

'I guess.'

Gold turned to gaze out of the window, wondering where his son had gone, but a sudden groan caused his head to snap back round, finding Belle with her head in her hands.

'I've just realised something.'

'What's that?'

'I've kissed your son.'

'You what?!' Gold spluttered.

She raised her head to look at him, face full of anguish. 'It happened like two years ago and it didn't mean anything.'

 _Oh for fuck's sake_ , Gold thought to himself as he took a gulp of whisky. _This evening is just going from bad to worse!_ He then refilled his glass and knocked it back in one, desperate to feel the burn of alcohol as it slid down his throat to distract him from the worrying thought that had just entered his mind. _That would certainly explain Neal's overreaction earlier._

Growing uncomfortable with Gold's silence Belle tried to explain. 'It was a work Christmas party and we were both completely smashed. I'd recently broken up with Gaston and I wasn't thinking.'

'Did you sleep with him?' Gold muttered hoarsely, fearing her answer.

'No! Of course not. It was one little kiss and nothing more.'

Gold took a deep, shuddering breath and released it slowly through his mouth. 'Fucking hell Belle.'

'I know.'

'No wonder he reacted the way he did.'

'But it didn't mean anything!'

'Maybe not to you…'

'You don't think…? No. No way!'

'Are you sure?'

'Yes, I'm sure,' she said adamantly, but the seed of doubt had been planted and Belle couldn't ignore it. _He didn't, did he?_

* * *

As the evening wore on and they'd calmed down their attentions turned to dinner and Gold told Belle about what had happened in the cafe before things had gone downhill afterwards. They then decided on an early night, Gold needing to get up early the next morning for an overnight business trip to San Francisco.

But try as she might, Belle couldn't get to sleep and it was a couple of hours later that Gold awoke to the feeling of being watched.

He opened his eyes slowly and once they had adjusted to the darkness in the room he noticed Belle leaning on her elbow, looking down at him.

'Sorry, I didn't mean to wake you.'

'S'ok. What's up?' he murmured groggily.

'I'm worried about Neal. I texted him before we went to bed and he still hasn't replied. He always replies.'

'Try not to worry about it sweetheart. I'm sure he'll get in touch when he's ready,' Gold said, eyes falling shut as he slowly drifted off again.

Belle sighed and flopped down onto her pillow. 'I just can't help but feel that I've messed things up for the two of you. If I'd worked it out sooner we could have gone about things differently.'

Gold's eyes fluttered back open once his tired mind had registered her words and he rolled over to face her, wrapping an arm around her waist. 'I thought we agreed that none of this was your fault? Besides, it wouldn't have changed the fact that his best friend is hopelessly in love with his father. He'll just have to deal with it.'

Belle couldn't help but giggle and he squeezed her waist, loving the fact that, despite her worries, he could still get her to laugh.

'Maybe you're right,' she said as she snuggled deeper into his embrace. 'We need to let him come to us.'

'Exactly. Try and get some sleep; it'll all sort itself out.' He confirmed his words with a kiss, one that quickly deepened as Belle's tongue parted his lips and duelled lazily with his own.

'Perhaps he could spend Christmas with us?' she asked hopefully once they'd parted.

'I think it might take a little longer than three weeks for him to feel comfortable enough for that.'

'Next year then?'

'Definitely.'

'I love you,' she said, pressing another kiss to his lips before settling her head on his chest.

'I love you too.'

* * *

Belle was so tired the next morning that she hardly registered Gold kissing her goodbye, and then slept right through her alarm, finally arriving at work a good two hours late.

Her plan to slip in unnoticed proved impossible when she exited the elevator and about twenty heads turned in her direction, watching and whispering to each other as she walked across the room to her desk. Putting it down to her unusual tardiness, she tried to ignore the stares and got to work.

A task that was easier said than done, however, with the constant stream of people walking past her desk all morning, some people she'd never even seen before. There was never usually so much activity in her area of the office and she wasn't aware of any new projects that required so much attention.

 _And where is Neal?!_ She hadn't seen any sign of him all morning and she was starting to worry.

* * *

As the hours dragged by the office seemed to get even busier, to the point where, after rereading the same sentence for the fifth time, Belle gave up and went down to the cafeteria for lunch, spotting her friend Jess at their usual table.

'Hey,' she said brightly as she sat down, but received nothing more than a cold nod in return.

'Everything ok?'

'Yup,' Jess replied curtly.

'How was your weekend?'

'Good.'

 _Right, that's enough!_

'Ok Jess, what the hell is going on here today? Everyone is acting really weird. Including you.'

Her friend finally looked up from her salad. 'I can't believe you didn't tell me! I thought we were friends.'

'Tell you what?' Belle asked, confusion growing.

'That you're sleeping with the boss!' Jess hissed. 'Former boss now I guess.'

 _Oh._

 _Oh shit._

Belle felt her stomach drop. Ice cold fear flooded her veins. It hadn't for one second occurred to her that people had found out about her and Gold, that that was why they had been staring at her all morning, whispering behind her back. But now, of course, it made perfect sense.

 _Fuck._

 _Fuck, fuck, fuck._

'Well?' Jess demanded, breaking Belle's stunned silence.

She initially thought about trying to deny it, to feign innocence. But she knew it wasn't worth it, that people would find out eventually anyway. No, the secret was out and it was time to deal with it.

'Who told you?' she asked, calmly.

'Becky from marketing.'

'Becky as in Becky Graham? Neal Cassidy's girlfriend?' Belle felt like she'd been punched in the stomach.

'Yeah. So it's true then?'

'Well obviously you already thought it was, given your reaction when I sat down,' Belle snapped. 'What did she tell you?'

'Only that you and Mr Gold have been sleeping together for a while now, since before he sold Storybrooke. I don't know where she got it from.'

 _I do_ , Belle sighed. There was only one way she could have found out. 'And judging by the mood around here this morning she didn't hold back in telling people.'

'You know what she's like. Can't keep her mouth shut.'

As shock gave way to fury Belle grabbed her food and rose from the table. 'I need to go.'

'Wait!' Jess called after her as she weaved her way through the tables towards the exit. 'You didn't tell me if it's true or not!'

But she didn't receive a response, Belle's sole focus on getting away.

She rushed back to her desk and packed up her belongings. A quick glance over at Neal's desk showed her that he still hadn't bothered to show up. _Coward._

She briefly considered hunting Becky Graham down and confronting her, but thought better of it when she saw yet another person stare at her as they walked past. It wasn't worth drawing even more attention to herself at that point.

Fighting off the tears as she tried to ignore the mutterings of her coworkers who no doubt assumed the worst of her, she quickly informed her boss that she was taking a sick day and then left the office.

As she made the half hour walk home she finally had a chance to think. She couldn't believe Neal had done that to her. Did he not even stop for a second to consider how his actions might affect her?! Apparently not! Was he that selfish that he didn't care about her? Belle thought back to Gold questioning whether Neal harboured feelings for her the previous night, but his actions had just confirmed that she was right. He didn't care about her at all.

Now everything was ruined. All her hard work over the years, her well earned promotions, straight down the drain. Just like that. Sure, work hadn't been great recently, but that didn't mean that she didn't care about her job, about her reputation. And the reason she'd been putting up with the extra work and the crappy hours was all in aid of her promotion chances. To gain that experience to help her achieve her dreams. _Well… No chance of that happening now._ Now her colleagues would just assume she'd slept her way up the company. And the worst thing was, there was nothing she could do about it.

Belle had always prided herself on the control she had over her life, but at that moment, as she wandered the streets of New York and the tears finally started to fall, she'd never felt less in control. And that terrified her.


	10. Chapter 10

I'm so sorry for taking so long to post this chapter, but I hope you enjoy it! Previously Neal found out about Belle and Gold's relationship and then so did the rest of Belle's office...

 **Chapter 10**

Ruby dragged herself up the stairs to her apartment. After a lovely weekend with Dorothy in Boston she'd had to deal with a delayed return flight and then a broken down taxi on her way home from the airport. It was getting late and all she wanted was a hot shower and to curl up in bed with a good book.

Those thoughts flew out of her mind, however, the moment she opened the front door and saw Belle lying on the sofa, bundled up in blankets, a half eaten piece of toast on the coffee table and a book abandoned on the floor amidst a sea of tissues.

'Hey, what's wrong? Are you ok?' Ruby asked, dropping her bags and hurrying over to check on her housemate.

Belle shook her head, tears forming in her eyes. She'd been wondering throughout the afternoon if there comes a point when there are simply no tears left. When the body has physically run out. Because if so, she hadn't reached it yet, despite her best efforts.

'Has something happened? Is it your dad? Gold?'

Again Belle shook her head.

'Ok Belle you're starting to worry me now.'

Belle cleared her throat, which had been raw from hours of crying. 'People at work know about William,' she rasped.

Ruby gasped. 'Oh shit! But how? You've been hiding it so well.'

'Becky told everyone. Neal must have told her.'

'Neal?! How does Neal know?'

'He's William's son. He came here last night when - '

'Hold on! Neal Cassidy is William Gold's son?!'

Belle spent the next hour filling Ruby in on everything that had happened over the weekend. The whole situation sounded even more ridiculous when spoken out loud. She still couldn't believe it had actually happened.

'And now I don't know what to do. This job is my life and I'm so close to that promotion. I've worked my ass off.' Her head fell back against the armrest of the sofa. 'It's all so fucked up.'

Ruby reached for her friend's hand, providing a calmness Belle desperately needed. 'It will all turn out alright in the end. Technically you didn't do anything wrong right? Let people think what they want. Fuck them. You know the truth and that's all that matters.'

'I know, but that doesn't make me feel any better right now.'

'I know it doesn't. But it will eventually get better, I promise. Christmas is right around the corner and by January everyone will have forgotten about it, you'll see. You just have to stick it out a couple more weeks.'

Their conversation was suddenly interrupted by the ringing of Belle's phone on the coffee table. They both looked down and saw Gold's name light up on the screen.

'Does he know?' Ruby asked.

Belle shook her head. 'I don't think I can face him at the moment. He's got important business to tend to in California; I don't want to worry him.'

'Then don't answer. He's back tomorrow right? Take tonight for yourself and you can speak to him tomorrow in person with a clearer mind.'

Belle agreed and, as hard as it was for her to do, she turned the phone face down on the table. She'd text him before bed, tell him she wasn't feeling well, and invite him round for dinner the next day.

She and Ruby continued talking for a while longer before Ruby made them a light dinner and Belle had an early night, desperate for the day to be over, but equally dreading work the next morning, and more importantly Gold's reaction when she told him the news.

* * *

Belle awoke reluctantly the next morning, feeling like her head was about to split open. For a very brief second she thought that perhaps she'd gone out drinking the night before and had gotten so drunk that she couldn't remember. But then, as she started to wake more fully, the memories of the previous day came rushing back. She groaned and threw the blankets over her head, trying to hide from the alarm that had started to ring on her bedside table, alerting her to the fact that it was time to face the world. Taking a deep breath and gathering all the strength and determination she had she threw aside the blankets and got up. It would be easy to call in sick and hide in her apartment, but that would only add fuel to the rumour fire. She had to be strong and show her colleagues that she wouldn't let herself be dragged down. Ruby was right. They hadn't broken any rules - they'd checked - and people would eventually move on. Though she hated herself for it, Belle secretly hoped that a new scandal would soon break to distract everyone.

* * *

As to be expected, work was a struggle that day. Between the constant staring and poorly hidden whispers Belle had been sorely tempted to call it quits several times. But then her boss had brought her an important piece of work that needed to be completed and returned that same day, so that gave Belle something to focus on. She kept her head down and powered through until it was finished and she could leave. Neal was once again absent, though Belle was rather glad of that. Before she had a chance to work out what to say she didn't want to face him. Though, despite her anger at him, a small part of her couldn't help but worry whether something had happened to him. It was unlike him to miss work without reason. Then again his loudmouth girlfriend was still acting her usual self around the office, so Belle figured nothing too serious could be wrong with him.

The only highlight of Belle's day was a text message from Gold, telling her that he had returned to New York and was looking forward to their dinner. But then her thoughts turned to what she was going to tell him. She knew him well enough to know he'd try and blame himself, even though there was no reason to. She was just as much in the relationship as he was and it wasn't their fault that the secret had come out. Her biggest worry was how it would affect his relationship with Neal. Gold had been so excited when he'd returned from the cafe on Sunday and she didn't want their relationship to be jeopardised because of her. So maybe she shouldn't tell him that it was Neal's fault?

Oh, but she hated the idea of lying to him. Especially given that they had specifically promised to always be honest with each other following the Cora Mills magazine saga. But would it not be for the greater good?

With her thoughts in turmoil, Belle gave her boss the finished task and raced out of the office, stopping by a supermarket on the way home to pick up dinner supplies. She had decided on a bacon and mushroom risotto. Gold enjoyed cooking and under his guidance she'd had a chance to improve her culinary skills over the past five months. She drew the line at making a dessert though. Not after the cookie disaster on Sunday.

Making the risotto ended up being a much needed distraction and she took great care in following the recipe she'd found to the letter. The aromas rising out of the pot gave her an appetite for the first time in two days and she was so involved in her cooking that the ringing of the doorbell made her jump in surprise. Taking a deep breath to prepare herself for what was to come, she opened the door.

'Hello love,' Gold said, greeting her with a kiss. 'How are you feeling?'

'I'm ok. Dinner should be ready soon. How was your trip?' she asked as he followed her back into the kitchen.

'It was good. Productive. I think we might be able to go ahead with the purchase.'

'That's good,' Belle replied as she stirred the risotto. All of a sudden the worries and fears she'd managed to suppress whilst cooking came back full force. _What am I supposed to tell him?!_

Gold wrapped an arm around her from behind and presented her with a bag she hadn't noticed before. 'I hope this helps you feel better.'

The bag revealed a jar of expensive honey, her ultimate guilty pleasure. 'I'm told it's the sweetest honey in all of California,' he purred into her ear.

Belle turned in his arms, thanking him with a hug and burying her face in the crook of his neck as the tears threatened to fall again. He was so kind and sweet and she was so lucky to have him and that made the events of the past two days all the more upsetting. Why couldn't they just enjoy a nice quiet life together? Why did something always have to get in the way to ruin things? Tightening her arms around him, as if trying to lose herself in his embrace, she couldn't stop the sob that escaped.

Gold pulled back to see tears sliding down her beautiful cheeks. 'Sweetheart, what's wrong? Was it the wrong honey? I can get a different one - '

'The honey is perfect, thank you,' she mumbled, unable to look at him.

He gently lifted her chin. 'Then please tell me. You're scaring me.'

Looking into those eyes she loved so much she knew there was no way she could lie to him. 'People at work have found out about us.'

'Fuck.' Gold dropped his head and heaved a deep sigh. 'When?'

'Yesterday.'

'How?'

Belle hesitated. 'I - I don't know,' she said, focusing on the wall clock over his right shoulder.

But Gold saw straight through her lie. 'Belle, how did people find out?'

Instead of replying she dropped her eyes back to the floor. She couldn't do it. She couldn't lie to him. Not when he was looking at her with such worry in his eyes, with such love. But how was she supposed to tell him that it was most likely his own son who had betrayed them? The same son he'd spent year after year trying to reconnect with. Maybe if she just didn't reply then he'd stop asking.

'It was Neal wasn't it?'

 _Never mind._

Before Belle could respond Gold turned and stormed towards the front door.

'Where are you going?' She called after him.

'To speak to my son.'

She chased after him and reached for his arm before he passed through the threshold of the apartment. 'Please don't do this William. We don't know if it was him, and even if, it was probably an accident. Think about how far the two of you have come. Don't throw it all away because of this. It's not worth it.'

Gold stared at her for a moment, at the tears in her eyes, the worry lines on her forehead, the trembling of her lips. 'I'll be back soon.' He pulled his arm free and left the apartment.

* * *

Gold marched down the street towards Neal's apartment, almost shaking with rage. How dare Neal do this to them? To Belle? There was no excuse. None.

He caught the open door to the building as a couple left and climbed the steps to Neal's floor, going by the address he'd send his letter to, giving the front door a good bang when he found it.

'What the hell are you doing here?' Neal demanded when he opened the door and saw his father standing there. He looked like he'd been asleep and didn't have the energy to prevent Gold from barging in.

Gold turned to face his son, ready to unleash his fury, but faltered when he took a look at him. Neal looked terrible. His hair was messy, his clothes untidy, and Gold noticed the stale smell of alcohol and cigarettes hanging in the air. Clearly the news of his relationship with Belle had had a greater effect on his son than even he had anticipated. Losing some of his resolve he said slightly more calmly, 'We need to talk.'

Neal rubbed his eyes, trying to wake himself up. 'I'm not in the mood right now.'

'Why did you tell people about my relationship with Belle?! Because of you she is suffering at work and may miss out on the promotion she deserves.'

'Well maybe she should have thought of that before jumping into bed with you!'

'Things were going fine until you went and told your girlfriend. No one would have known.'

'Things were going fine in my life until you had to show up again! You know what? This is so typical. It's literally been a few days since you claimed you wanted to make amends and here we are, once again fighting over one of your women! You said you'd changed.'

'This isn't because Belle is my girlfriend! She's your best friend and you betrayed her. Do you have any idea the upset you've caused her?!'

'That's rich coming from you!'

Gold sighed, trying not to let this spiral into another argument. 'Neal, please. This isn't about you and me. This is Belle we're talking about. We both care deeply for her and she's suffering. Please just talk to her and apologise.'

Gold's request was met with silence but he saw the shift in Neal's eyes, the anger making way for guilt. Feeling that his point had been made he didn't wait for a verbal response before leaving the apartment.

* * *

Belle was angry.

No, scrap that. She was furious.

Not only with Gold for running after his son like that, but also with herself. Had she been more prepared she could have gone about the situation differently and spared the inevitable argument between father and son. She felt like it was her fault and she hated herself for it.

And where the hell was he anyway?! She had managed to clean the entire kitchen in anger while waiting for him to return, all while the meal she'd put so much effort into was going cold.

Not that she had much of an appetite anymore anyway. But that was beside the point.

She had just made a start on cleaning the living room when he finally returned, a good hour later. She silently opened the door for him and went back to dusting the bookshelves.

He dropped himself onto the sofa with a weary sigh. After leaving Neal's apartment he'd gone for a walk, making various phone calls along the way and trying to get his thoughts in order after this latest shock. 'I've spoken to my publicist about minimising press coverage. They're bound to catch wind of it, if they haven't already, so we need to be prepared for that.'

Silence.

'I've also spoken to Neal. I think he realises he was in the wrong. I'm hoping he'll apologise.'

Still no response.

'Belle are you listening?'

'Mhmm'

'Is something wrong?'

Belle scoffed and turned on him. 'How can you even ask that?! I am so mad at you right now. I've just had two of the worst days of my life, I may get fired this week and instead of comforting me you go running after the son you've only just reconnected with and jeopardise your relationship with him once again. And I feel like it's all my fault and I'm such a failure and I don't know how -'

Gold had risen from the sofa during Belle's rant and collected her into his arms. 'Oh Sweetheart, I'm so sorry. You're right, I should have stayed with you. Please know that none of this is your fault. I can promise you that,' he said as she broke down in tears again. 'It'll be ok.'

He lead her back to the sofa and continued to hold her until her shoulders had stopped shaking and her tears had subsided, whispering words of apology and reassurance all the while.

'Maybe we should release a statement? Clear everything up and put any rumours to rest?' he suggested a while later.

He felt her shake her head against his chest.

'It might help Belle.'

'That would only draw more attention to it. I'm so scared my boss will find out.'

'Belle we didn't do anything wrong. We checked. They can't fire you and they can't prevent your promotion based on rumours. Want me to talk to your boss?'

'No, please don't get involved. I'm hoping it'll all go away soon.'

Gold sighed. 'There must be something I can do? I feel helpless right now Belle.'

'Just stay here and hold me.'

He tightened his arms around her. 'Of course love.'

Comforting Belle may have helped to ease her worries, but it did nothing to lessen his feelings of guilt. It was his fault that Belle was suffering. Yet again.

There had to be something he could do.


End file.
